KENNESAW'S 

BOMBARDMENT. 


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HOW  THE  SHARPSHOOTERS 

WOKE  UP  THE  BATTERfES. 

By  JOSEPH  M.  BROWN. 


RECORD  PUBLISHING  CO.,  ATLANTA,  GA. 

1890. 


Digitized  by  tine  Internet  Archive 
in  2009  witii  funding  from 
.University  of  Nortii  Carolina  at  Chapel  Hil 


http://www.archive.org/details/kennesawsbombardOOObrow 


KEMESAW'S  BOMBARDMEJsTT. 


OR 


How  the  Sharpshooters 

Woke  lip  the  Batteries. 


JOSEPH  M.  BROWN. 


Atlanta,  Ga. 

Record  Publishing  Company 

1890. 


Entered  according  to  Act  ol  Congress,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  1890j 

By  Joseph  M.  Beown, 

In  the  office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress  at  Washington,  D.  C. 


PREFACE. 

It  is  customary  for  an  author  to  introduce  his  book 
with  a  preface,  and,  since 

''Man  yields  to  custom  as  he  bows  to  fate," 
this  book  will  have  to  begin  with  a  preface,  although 
it  has  become  necessary  to  drop  out  a  few  shells  in  order 
to  get  it  in,  the  only  regret  of  the  "men  who  were  on  the 
mountain  top,"  being  that  the  omission  was  net  made 
over  twenty-five  years  earlier. 

As  the  reader  will  readily  gather  by  wading  through  it, 
and  looking  at  the  pictures,  it  is  intended  as  a  historical 
novel, — as  a  view  of  the  panorama  which  war  spread  out 
upon  and  around  Kennesaw  Mountain  on  that  "day  of 
thrilling  events,"— the  historical  part  of  it  being  as  nearly 
■correct  as  it  is  possible  to  make  it  by  laboriously  and  care- 
fully fishing  out  the  facts  with  a  drag-net  with  pin-hook 
attachment,— and  the  fictitious  part  being  as  fascinating 
as  the  writer's  riotous  love  of  sentiment  Avill  allow.  If  it 
be  urged  by  the  northern  reader  that  the  "sentiment"  is  all 
southern,  it  is  a  fair  reply  to  say  that  that  was  the  kind 
which  prevailed  on  Kennesaw  at  the  date  shown  in  the 
book ;  and  the  author's  intention  and  determination  have 
been  to  make  the  picture  a  true  and  characteristic  on*^. 

In  the  preparation  of  this  work,  there  has  been  the 
most  extensive  research,  at  odd  times  within  the  past 
three  years,  through  official  reports,  files  of  daily  news- 
papers published  during  June,  1864,  and  correspondence 
or  personal  conversations  with  those  who  took  part  in  the 
scenes  attempted  to  be  described.  All  the  characters  in 
the  book  are  real  ones,  except  some  four  or  five,  and  those 


87.3C99 


the  reader,  whether  he  has  got  his  "Counterfeit  Detector"' 
with  him  or  not,  will  doubtless  readily  pick  out. 

There  are  several  anachronisms  as  to  dates,  none,  how- 
ever, being  actually  more  than  three  or  four  days  before 
or  after  June  23,  and  the  incidents  in  question  are  all 
brought  into  that  day  for  the  purpose  of  making  it 
illustrate  what  was  practically  the  everyday  experience 
during  the  almost  two  weeks  that  the  Confederate  batteries 
were  on  the  mountain-top. 

Of  course  there  had  to  be  a  pretty  girl  in  it,  or  else 
the  novel  would  not  have  been  a  stunning  success,  no 
matter  whether  the  bombardment  was  or  not. 

Atlanta,  Ga.,  .January  15,  1890. 


KEMESAW'S  BOMBARDMEA^T, 

—  OR  — 

How  the  Sharpshooters  Woke  up  the  Batteries. 


CHAPTER  I. 

It  was  on  the  forenoon  of  Thursday,  June  23d, 
1864. 

A  cold,  drenching  rain  had  been  falling  many- 
hours.  The  two  weeks  of  wet  weather  had  cul- 
minated in  a  furious  thunderstorm;  and  the  past 
night  and  this  morning  had  seemed  to  gather  unto 
themselves  almost  the  terrific  grandeur  of  a  tropical 
tempest.  Rain!  rain!  rain!  the  forests  were  drop- 
ping it  like  spray,  the  hillsides  were  shedding  it  in 
sheets,  the  creeks  were  becoming  rivers. 

But  the  center  of  all  the  elements'  fury  was  Ken- 
nesaw  Mountain.  About  its  twin  peaks  the  clouds 
had  clustered  as  though  they  were  a  storm  magnet. 
The  lightning,  which  occasionally  flashed  its  daz- 
zling splendors  through  the  blinding  darkness  of 
the  night,  seemed  to  blaze  around  the  towering 
crests  like  a  fiery  diadem ;  the  thunder,  which  rolled 


6         KENNESAW'S  BOMBARDMENT. 

forth  and  reverberated  with  deafening  echoes  for 
leagues  around,  one  could  almost  imagine  was  the 
wrathful  shout  of  the  mountain  god.  How  the 
winds  howled!  how  the  rain  poured! 

Thus  through  the  night  the  aerial  battle  had 
raged ;  and  with  scarcely  less  fury  had  it  continued 
until  well  into^^the  forenoon. 

At  length,  as  if  from  the  mere  exhaustion  of  the 
■elements,  a  calm  hour  came  on.  The  rain  ceased 
falling,  except  now  and  then  a  light  mist,  which, 
observed  fromfthe  valley,  appeared  like  a  veil  to 
adorn  the  mountain.  Then  through  a  rift  in  the 
storm-cloud  a  golden  shaft  seemed  to  dart;  and  the 
next  instant  the  mountain  top  was  glorified  by  a 
halo  of  dazzling  sun-light.  Then  the  drifting  fog 
enveloped  it  again,  and  obscurity  was  lord  for  a 
minute. 

But  the  fresh  breeze,  which  had  just  sprung  up, 
soon  swept  away  again  these  ''cobwebs  from  the 
sky,"  and  majestic  Kennesaw's  crown  once  more 
towered  above  the  vision  for  miles  around. 

Thus  alternately  the  flashing  sunlight  and  the 
thickly- banked  clouds  struggled  for  the  possession 
of  the  mountain  and  the  surrounding  hills  and  fields. 
And  how  similar  was  this  war  for  mastery  of  the 
elements  above  to  that  which  at  the  same  time  was 
being  waged  by  man  below,  in  which  the  grandest 
genius  of  America  was  giving  direction  to  the  mar- 
shalling of  the  bravest  and  most  intelligent  soldiery 
of  the  age. 


>M 


WAKING  UP  THE  B  VTTERIES.  7 

But  now  as  the  storm  is  breaking,  and  the  first 
sunshine  of  a  fortnight^  is  lighting  the  sky,  let  us 
look  immediately  upon  Kennesaw,  for  there  the 
initial  steps  are  just  being  taken  which  will  shortly 
bring  about  one  of  the  most  thrillingly  magnificent 
yet  terrific  scenes  which  America  ever  witnessed. 

For  nearly  a  month  Johnston's  and  Sherman's 
armies  had  been  fighting  with  desperate  valor  in 
sight  of  Kennesaw  Mountain.  New  Hope  Church, 
Pickett's  Mill,  Lost  Mountain,  Pine  Mountain,  Gil- 
gal  Church,  Mud  Creek,  Noonday  Creek,  Brush 
Mountain,  once  names  of  mere  local  note,  had  now 
become  throughout  the  land  household  synonyms 
for  scenes  of  blood. 

The  battle  front  had  been  successively  changed 
until  to-day  the  Confederate  army  faced  its  enemy's 
almost  double  numbers  with  entrenchments  which 
began  east  of  the  Western  &  Atlantic  Railroad, 
thence  crossed  it,  and  ran  up  the  long  ridge  of 
Kennesaw  Mountain,  just  below  the  north  front  of 
both  crests,  and,  descending  its  western  slant,  turned 
abruptly  south,  and  extended  through  the  valley 
and  over  the  hills,  parallel  to  the  railroad,  for  some 
four  miles. 

Loring's  corps  (till  late  that  of  the  Bishop-General 

-"The  weather  is  villainously  bad.'"— Gen.  Sherman  to  Gen. 
Thomas,  June  18,  1864. 

"This  is  the  nineteenth  day  of  rain,  and  the  prospect  of  clear 
weather  as  far  off  as  ever.  The  roads  are  impassable,  and  fields 
and  woods  become  quagmires  after  a  few  wagons  have  crossed. 
=:=  :•.:  ::■-  The  enemy  holds  Kennesaw,  a  conical  mountain,  with 
Marietta  behind  it,  and  has  retired  his  flanks  to  cover  that  town 
and  his  railroad.  I  am  all  ready  to  attack  the  moment  the 
weather  and  roarls  will  permit  troops  and  arti'lery  to  move  with 
anythmg  like  life."— Gen.  Sherman  to  Gen.  Haileck,  .June  21. 
1864. 


8         KENNESAW  S  BOMBARDMENT. 

Polk,  whose  tragic  death  on  Pine  Mountain  had 
crowned  it  in  the  Southland's  memory  with  the 
immortelles  of  melancholy,)  covered  the  mountain. 

Walthall's  division  (Quarles'  brigade  on  the  right, 
Cantey's  in  the  center  and  Reynolds'  on  the  left,) 
extended  from  the  base  up  the  ridge  of  Great  Ken- 
nesaw  to  the  crest,  and  there  met  the  right  brigade 
(Ector's)  of  French's  division,  which  descended  ta 
the  gap  between  the  two  peaks  and  over  the  little 
knob  which  rises  like  a  hump  from  the  ravine  be- 
tween Great  and  Little  Kennesaw.  Ector's  brig- 
ade also  occupied  the  works  from  this  ravine  to  the 
top  of  Little  Kennesaw,  thence  Sears'  was  pro- 
longed behind  those  on  the  north  side  of  and  a  little 
below  the  summit  and  partly  down  the  slope  on  the 
west,  at  which  point  it  aligned  with  Cockrell's  Mis- 
souri brigade,  whose  front  extended  down  the  ex- 
, posed  slant,  across  the  ravine  and  over  the  high  hill 
on  the  west,  to  the  plain. 

It  was  now  well  into  the  morning,  and  General 
French,  who  had  come  from  his  headquarters  up  to  the 
mountain  top  early  after  breakfast,  had  just  gotten 
through  with  a  short  consultation  with  his  brigade 
commanders  and  some  others,  who  had  been  after- 
wards called  in,  to  join  an  informal  discussion  over 
the  military  situation  that  day. 

Standing  by  a  huge  crag  near  the  eastern  end  of 
the  summit  of  Little  Kennesaw  was  General  French 
himself, — short  in  stature,  but  the  ideal  of  a  com- 
mander. On  his  right,  on  a  rock,  sat  Colonel 
W.  S.  Barry,  who  was  in  command  of  the  l)rigade 


WAKING  UP  THE  BATTERIES.         9 

of  General  Sears,  who  was  absent  this  day  because 
of  sickness,  and  by  his  side,  writing  in  his  note-book, 
was  Major  D.  W.  Sanders,  General  French's  Adju- 
tant-General ;  leaning  against  an  artillery  caisson 
in  front,  examining  a  map,  was  the  tall  form  of 
General  Francis  M.  Cockrell,  every  inch  a  soldier; 
with  him  stood  Lieutenant-Colonel  D.  Todd 
Samuels,  of  the  Third  Missouri  cavalry,  and  on  the 
other  side.  Colonel  James  McCown,  of  the  Fifth 
Missouri,  was  reading  a  memorandum  order  which 
had  just  been  handed  him  by  Colonel  Elijah  Gates, 
the  gallant  and  popular  commander  of  the  First 
Missouri  cavalry,  and  Cockrell's  chief  lieutenant. 

Standing  on  the  rocky  parapet  in  front  of  one  of 
the  cannon  of  Hoskins'  battery, — whose  muzzle 
faced  Pine  Mountain,  where  was  now  a  Federal 
sisrnal  station, — Colonel  W.  H.  Young,  of  the  Ninth 
Texas  cavalry,  with  a  field-glass  was  surveying  the 
movements  of  a  body  of  Federal  infantry  from  the 
vicinity  of  the  Cheatham  house  on  the  north  toward 
the  mountain. 

By  his  side  was  Major  Geo.  S.  Storrs,  General 
French's  chief  of  artillery,  who  had  been  called  by 
some,  "one  of  the  bravest  men  in  the  Confederate 
army,"  under  whose  direction  the  Confederates  had 
planted  several  batteries  on  the  crest  of  the  moun- 
tain. This  achievement  was  one  almost  wonderful 
in  the  boldness  of  its  conception,  and  the  ingenuity 
and  triumj)h  over  the  apparently  insurmountable 
obstacles  which  nature  had  placed  in  the  way. 
The  fire  from  the  Federal  batteries  commanding 


10        KENNESAW'S  BOMBARDMENT. 

the  slanting  end  of  the  mountain,  he  had  found  a 
way  to  drag  the  cannon  by  men  with  long  ropes, — 
there  being  two  hundred  men  allotted  to  each  can- 
non, in  performing  this  task, — up  the  steep  side  on 
the  south;  and  here  now,  froai  behind  the  mons- 
trous bowlders,  or  piles  of  loose  stones,  they  frowned 
upon  the  Federal  camps  and  works  in  the  plain  and 
on  the  hills  far  below. 

These  parapets  were  erected  by  General  Gibson's 
Louisiana  Brigade,  which  was  temporarily  attached 
to  French's  division,  being  on  this  date,  with  Holtz- 
claw's  Alabama  Brigade,  in  reserve  behind  the 
mountain.  Of  General  Gibson  and  his  command 
Major  Storrs  said  :  "The  artillerymen  thought  him 
a  very  clever  gentleman  and  his  brigade  fine  sol- 
diers, because  all  they  asked  of  us  was  to  set  the 
stakes,  and  then  they  went  energetically  at  it  with 
picks  and  shovels,  and  not  only  built  splendid  works, 
but  carried  by  hand  a  large  amount  of  ammunition 
up  the  mountain  and  stored  it  in  our  extempore 
magazines,  while  the  artillerymen,  except  a  few  to 
give  directions,  slept  so  as  to  be  fresh  for  the  next 
day." 

Of  Major  Storrs  himself  the  most  characteristic 
description  probably  was  given  by  one  of  the  artil- 
lerymen of  Captain  Hoskins'  detachment  on  the 
mountain  top,  when  asked  who  was  in  command  of 
that  section  of  Hoskins'  battery — the  captain  him- 
self being  in  personal  charge  of  that  section  which 
was  on  the  hill  to  the  west  of  Kennesaw.  Said  he  : 
''I  cannot  sav  who  was  in  command,  unless  it  was 


PLANTING   THE   GUNS   ON   KENNESAW. 


12        KENNESAW'S  BOMBARDMENT. 

Major  Storrs,  who,  in  person,  gave  us  every  order 
we  received  on  the  mountain.  He  was  about  as 
near  one  of  us  as  could  be,  and  often  sighted  and 
directed  the  movement  of  the  guns.  In  fact, 
he  was  everywhere  where  things  were  the  warmest. 
He  was  over  the  mountain  constantly  every  day, 
and  I  never  saw  a  time  anything  was  being  shot 
away,  but  what  Major  Storrs  was  in  sight  or  near 
by.  Yes,  he  was  a  good  one,  and  you  could  bet 
everything  you  had  or  could  borrow  on  his  personal 
skill  and  courage.  It  would  take  a  great  deal  of 
space  to  write  up  the  good  soldierly  qualities  of 
Major  Storrs." 

Right  behind  Major  Sforrs  and  Colonel  Young, 
sitting  on  a  rock  and  drawing  a  profile,  were  Major 
Gus(J.  A.)Shiugleur,  the  division  Inspector  General, 
and  Captain  Porter,  of  the  engineers,  who  had  both 
assisted  Major  Storrs  in  making  an  examination  of 
Little  Kennesaw  before  the  guns  were  taken  up. 

Only  a  few  steps  to  the  left  of  these,  two  officers, 
subordinate  in  rank,  but  greatly  beloved  by  officers 
and  men  alike,  were  engaged  in  earnest  conversa- 
tion. These  were  Lieutenant  Archibald  D.  Man- 
ning, a  Cumberland  Presbyterian  preacher,  and 
Lieutenant  F.  M.  Baker,  of  the  Fifth  Missouri 
infantry,  a  model  officer  and  Christian. 

In  front  of  the  parapet,  about  twenty  steps  down 
the  mountain  side,  in  the  shadow  of  a  tree,  was  a 
group  of  officers  and  men  surveying  the  prospect 
below  them  extending  far  away  on  the  north  and 
west. 


WAKING  QP  THE  BATTERIES.         13 

Among  these  were  Colonel  W.  H.  Clark,  of  the 
Forty-sixth  Mississippi  regiment,  (Sears'  brigade), 
Colonel  J.  L.  Camp,  of  the  Fourteenth  Texas, 
Colonel  T>.  Coleman,  of  the  Thirty-ninth  North 
Carolina,  Major  H.  D.  E.  Redwine, — the  latter 
three  belonging  to  Ector's  brigade,  and  Captain 
A.  J.  Booty,  of  the  Fourteenth  Texas. 

Sitting  on  a  crag,  just  to  the  left,  were  Captain 
Pat  Canniff,  brave  and  shrewd,  and  Lieutenant 
J.  R.  Mothershead,  a  most  gallant  officer  and 
exemplary  Christian  gentleman.  These  belonged 
to  Cockrell's  brigade. 

Farther  up  to  the  left  was  a  group  of  artillery 
officers,  among  whom  was  Captain  Jno.  J.  Ward, 
whose  gallantry  and  wisdom  as  an  officer  were 
matched  by  his  genial  disposition  and  estimable 
social  qualities ;  although  the  crowning  trait  of  his 
character  was  his  pure  Christian  love.  As  was 
said  of  him,  "he  was  every  inch  a  soldier,  every 
inch  a  gentleman."  By  his  side  Captain  James  A. 
Hoskins  was  engaged  in  a  jocular  dispute  with 
Captain  R.  H.  Bellamy  over  the  relative  superiority 
of  the  ten-pounder  Parrott  guns  which  were  in  their 
respective  batteries. 

"That's  very  good  for  bragging,"  exclaimed  Cap- 
tain C.  L.  Lumsden,  who  with  Captain  Bellamy 
had  left  their  respective  batteries  down  the  west 
slope  of  the  hill  at  the  end  of  the  mountain,  com- 
manding the  Burnt  Hickory  road  from  Marietta, 
and  come  up  here  in  obedience  to  orders,  to  join  in 
a   consultation    with    General   French   and   Major 


14        KENNESAW'S  BOMBARDMENT. 

Storrs;  "but  ray  Alabama  battery  of  Napoleons 
would  make  both  of  you  jump  for  cover  if  I  opened 
upon  you." 

"Hal  ha!  wait  till  you  hear  from  the  proprietor 
of  Guibor's  Missouri  battery,"  interjected  Lieuten- 
ant A.  W.  Harris,  of  that  battery,  "and  you'll 
think  there's  thunder  among  the  mountains." 

"Well,  the  Lord  knows  we  don't  want  any  more 
thunder  among  the  mountains,"  exclaimed  a  private, 
who  was  burnishing  his  gun,  "especially  if  it  fetches 
as  much  rain  as  it  did  last  night.  Gracious  I  it 
seemed  like  Niagaray  Falls,  as  the  Vermont  Yankee 
called  'em,  was  a  pouring  down  on  me,  as  I  stood 
on  picket  duty  near  the  foot  of  the  mountain. 
I  think  enough  water  soaked  into  me  to  dilute  all 
the  whisky  I'll  drink  for  a  month.  I  didn't  want 
to  stay  down  there  in  it  five  minutes,  but  the 
trouble  was  I  had  an  engagement  to  stay  there  all 
night;  and  it  was  like  an  engagement  to  be  hung, — 
one  which  couldn't  be  dispensed  with  without 
danger  of  serious  detriment  to  the  public  interest." 

"Boys,"  said  Lieutenant  Mothershead,  who  had 
heard  this  last  remark,  "I  have  been  told  about 
being  enfolded  in  the  arms  of  Morpheus;  but  last 
night  all  of  us  were  enfolded  in  the  arms  of  the 
thunderstorm.  Why,  our  tent  was  worth  no  more 
than  a  veil.  The  clouds  rolled  against  it  so  thick 
that  you  could  feel  them  with  the  hand;  the  rain 
beat  in  like  it  was  coming  through  a  sieve,  and,  to 
cap  it  all,  a  gust  of  wind  came  howling  along  and 
tore  it  entirely  from  the  pins  on  one  side.     Just 


WAKING  UP  THE  BATTERIES.         15 

then  the  lightning  seemed  to  set  the  whole  moun" 
tain  on  fire,  and  the  peal  of  thunder  that  followed 
is  almost  roaring  in  my  ears  yet." 

"Well,  there's  some  consolation  about  it  all," 
exclaimed  Captain  Canniff,  "if  another  flood  comes 
it  will  drown  the  Yankees  first;  or  it  will  make 
them  come  up  here  and  surrender  to  us.  Just 
imagine  old  Sherman's  hundred  thousand  men 
climbing  up  the  mountain  to  surrender  to  our  divi- 
sion ! " 

"How  did  you  say  General  Sears  was?"  asked 
General  French  of  Colonel  Barry,  as  they  and 
several  others  walked  by  the  group  of  artillery 
officers  toward  the  west. 

"I  received  a  note  from  his  headquarters  only 
an  hour  ago,"  was  the  reply,  "and  he  is  reported  a 
little  better  this  morning." 

"Well,  I  am  glad  to  learn  that,"  said  General 
French,  "but  did  I  understand  you  to  say  that 
he  has  established  his  headquarters  down  yonder  in 
the  valley  at  the  base  of  the  mountain  which  he  will 
have  to  climb?" 

"Yes,  sir,"  answered  Colonel  Barry,  "he  is  down 
there.  You  know  General  Sears  comes  from  Missis- 
sippi where  there  is  not  much  mountain  climbing." 

"But,"  said  General  French,  "location  and 
accessibility  to  his  brigade  are  a  necessity.  Send 
word  to  him  that  as  soon  as  he  recovers  he  had 
better  move  his  headquarters  nearer  the  line,  the 
mountain  is  so  inaccessible." 

"All   right.    General,"    responded    Col.    Barry, 


16 


KENNESAW'S  BOMBARDMENT. 


"and  as  I  am  just  sendiDg  my  morniDg  report  down 
to  him,  I  will  add  that  such  is  your  wish  in  the 
matter." 

Turning  to  a  sergeant  who  was  with  him  he  wrote 
a  note  and  handed  to  him  with  orders  to  take  the 
papers  to  General  Sears. 


WAKING  UP  THE  BATTERIES.         17 


CHAPTER  II. 

"Say,  Colonel,"  exclaimed  a  North  Georgia  moun- 
taineer, named  Partridge,  to  Col.  Young,  "what 
do  you  make  out  of  that  body  of  Yankees  down 
there  in  the  field,  near  the  railroad?  Don't  you 
think  we  could  creep  down  ihe  mountain,  and  get 
the  range  of  'em,  and  make  'em  behave  'emselves?" 

"Yes,"  answered  the  colonel,  "they  seem  to  be 
making  observations ;  and  it  might  be  well  to  run 
them  behind  cover.  Suppose  you  sharpshooters 
get  down  among  those  crags  yonder,  and  try  them." 

"Well,  we're  the  chaps  to  do  it,"  sang  out  a 
Texan. 

''Love  is  love  and  beauty's  beauty; 
But  killing  Yanks,  ah!  that  is  duty." 

sang  out  a  couple  of  others ;  and  then  the  word  was 
passed  along  the  line  that  the  sharpshooters  would 
have  the  privilege  of  entertaining  themselves  for 
the  next  hour  or  two  without  restraint. 

There  were  nearly  tw^euty  of  these  who  were 
picked  men, — selected  for  fine  marksmanship,  and 
furnished  with  good  Whitworth^  and  Enfield  rifles, 

"•■'We  had  a  corps  of  sharpshooters,  howeyer,  perhaps  the 
most  expert  in  the  army.  They  were  armed  with  the  Whitworth 
rifle— an  English  gun  with  a  tele'scope  on  the  side.  This  gun  was 
deemed  the  best  in  use.  Each  brigade  had  four  of  tkem.  We 
fould  not  procure  more.  They  were  expensive  and  rare."— Ben- 
ham's  "Life  of  Gen.  P.  R.  Cleburoe." 

"I  heard  that  the  Whitworth  rifles  cost  fifteen  hundred  dol- 
lars a  piece  in  gold  in  England,  and  the  Yankees  never  had  anj'  of 
them.  I  know  Porter,  one  of  the  picked  men,  was  shot  in  the  eye 
on  Kennesaw  or  around  it,  and  died  in  a  few  days.     I  shot  his  gun 


18        KENNESAWS  BOMBARDMENT. 

the  best  which  could  be  imported  from  Europe  or 
captured  from  the  enemy.  Partridge  was  a  vol- 
unteer member  of  this  body,  having  joined  the  ar- 
my after  some  of  Garrard's  cavalry  had  burned  his 
cabin  and  turned  his  family  out  in  the  woods.  He 
captured  his  own  rifle,  a  Whitworth,  from  a  Fed- 
eral sharpshooter  whom  he  waylaid  and  killed  near 
Cassville,  This  identical  gun  had  been  taken  from 
a  Confederate  sharpshooter  (of  Cheatham's  division) 
who  was  mortally  wounded  the  day  before,  near 
Adairsville.  Partridge  having  rescued  it  was  al- 
lowed to  retain  it. 

They  disappeared  among  the  bushes  down  the 
mountain  side,  in  the  neighborhood  of  a  steep, 
craggy  formation  of  outcropping  rocks,  where  there 
was  perfect  shelter  from  danger  from  shells. 

''Say,  Captain  Ward,"  yelled  Partridge,  ''if  they 
get  to  shootin'  b'ilin'  pots  at  us  you  must  show  'em 
that  your  Parrotts  can  say  'Pretty  Poll,'  too." 

"Ha!  ha!"  laughed  the  captain  good-humoredly, 
"we'll  drop  some  shells  among  them  if  they  open 
upon  you ;  make  that  group  of  oflScers  get  back  out 
of  sight.  They  are  taking  too  leisurely  a  look 
at  us." 

"All  right,  we'll  make  'em  do  it,  even  if  we  have 

a  few  days;  but  thev  kick  so,  and  you  hold  a  long  telescojie  to 
your  eye' that  runs  along  the  barrel /and  if  you  are  not  careful  to 
keep  it  tight  against  the  shoulder,  so  that  when  you  fire  your  head 
must  come  back  with  the  recoil,  or  else  you  receive  tHe  kick  in 
your  eye  which  would  put  it  out.     There  were  onlv  five  of  thes^  in 


our  division,  and  they  were  the  surest  to  kill  of  anything.  The 
Whitworth  balls  are  very  long,  and  nearly  all  the  Yankee  prison- 
ers ha<l  picked  up  one  as  a  reliC:  saying  they  had  killed  a  man  or 
a  horse  a  mile  in  the  rear  of  their  army."— Letter  from  a  member 
of  Hoskins'  battery  to  the  author. 


WAKING  UP  THE  BATTERIES.         19 

to  wake  up  the  batteries,"  halloed  Partridge,  as  he 
passed  out  of  sight. 

"My  Parrotts,  eh!"  laughed  Captain  Ward,  turn- 
ing to  Major  Storrs,  "well,  Parroits  or  Napoleons, 
they  are  the  same  to  him  if  we  will  only  drop  a  shell 
or  so  down  yonder  should  the  Yankee  artillery  open 
upon  him." 

"Yes,"  answered  the  major,  "Partridge  does  not 
care  anything  about  names  so  he  gets  the  thing  he 
wants.  A  wonderfully  fine  marksman  he  is ;  and 
we  will  soon  hear  from  him." 

"Why,  great  heavens!  Minon,  what  does  this 
mean?"  exclaimed  Captain  Ward,  as  he  walked 
back  on  the  crest  of  the  ridge,  and  suddenly  met 
one  of  his  sergeants,  who  was  only  a  few  steps  in 
front  of  a  beautiful  lady  and  a  little  boy. 

"Ah!  Captain  Ward,  let  me  introduce  you  to 
Miss  Harper,  and  to  Master  Jack  Harper,"  said  the 
gallant  young  artilleryman. 

Captain  Ward's  polite  bow  was  met  by  a  most 
graceful  one  from  the  young  lady,  while  little  Jack 
came  forward  and  extended  his  hand,  saying,  "And 
is  this  your  Captain  Ward,  Mr.  Minon?  Why  he's 
a  mighty  good-looking  man  to  be  a  cannon  man." 

The  captain  grasped  Jack's  hand  cordially,  and 
answered,  "Thank  you.  Master  Jack,  I  am  Captain 
Ward,  the  cannon  man." 

"Well,  then,  Captain  Ward,  I  want  to  join  your 
cannon  company,  and  be  one  of  your  soldiers. 
I  want  to  learn  to  shoot  one  of  your  biggest  cannon. 
They  make  a  heap  of  noise." 


20        KENNESAW  S  BOMBARDMEXT. 

"Ha!  ha!  ha!"  laughed  the  captain,  "do  you 
think  you  are  large  enough,  Jack,  to  shoot  a  can- 
non? Then  you  must  know  that  all  of  my  soldiers 
have  to  obey  orders;  and  I  am  afraid  that  you 
would  want  to  get  away  if  I  ordered  you  to  stay 
when  the  Yankees  got  to  throwing  big  bombshells 
all  around  you." 

"Oh!  I'd  stay  if  you  ordered  me  to,"  answered 
Jack  in  a  tone  of  very  positive  earnestness,  "please. 
Captain,  can't  I  be  one  of  your  soldiers?" 

"Yes,"  said  Miss  Harper  to  the  captain,  "it  is 
Jack's  highest  ambition  to  be  a  soldier,  and  shoot 
the  cannon.  He  has  been  begging  for  several  days 
to  be  allowed  to  come  up  on  the  mountain,  and  see 
the  soldiers  and  the  cannon;  so  last  night  Mr. 
Minon  promised  that  if  to-day  was  fair,  he  would 
bring  Jack  up.  He  had  no  idea  he  would  be  called 
upon  to  do  so;  but  this  morning  after  the  clouds 
scattered,  Jack  summoned  him  to  make  good  his 
promise,  and,  after  some  argument,  carried  his  point. 
Mother,  however,  would  not  agree  to  let  him  come 
till  Mr.  Minon  said  he  would  take  special  care  of 
him;  and  then  I  was  persuaded  to  come  along, 
as  there  was  no  danger  today,  and  help  keep  him 
within  bounds." 

"And,  Captain,  it  would  have  made  you  proud 
of  our  Georgia  young  ladies  if  you  had  seen  how 
bravely  Miss  Harper  stood  the  trip  up  the  mountain 
side  till  we  arrived  here  about  a  half  hour  ago. 
She  did  not  seem  to  be  as  tired  as  I  was." 

"Oh,  no,  it  is  not  a  feeling  of  weariness,  but  of 


WAKING  UP  THE  BATTERIES.         21 

apprehension  of  danger  which  disturbs  me,"  said  his 
fair  comrade.  "Do  you  think  we  are  going  to  have 
any  fighting  today,  Captain  Ward?" 

"Well,  I  hope  not  up  here  to  any  great  extent," 
answered  the  latter,  "at  least  for  a  little  while  yet. 
Come  forward  with  nue,  and  look  over  at  the 
Yankee  camps  on  the  north  and  west." 

"Yes,  let's  shoot  the  cannon  at  'em.  Captain 
Ward,"  sang  out  Jack. 

"Come  here,  Miss  Harper,"  said  Captain  Ward, 
"and  let  us  survey  the  panorama  which  war  spreads 
out  before  us.  Look  south  now  to  that  prominent 
hill  which  rises  so  conspicuously  out  of  the  plain, 
about  two  or  three  miles  from  here.  That  is  the 
centre  of  General  Cheatham's  position,  and  is  just 
east  of  the  house  and  farm  of  a  countryman  named 
Chanuell.  His  division  occupies  a  strong  line  of 
entrenchments  on  its  crest,  extends  beyond  it  also 
to  the  south,  and  comes  up  this  way  for  a  few  hun- 
dred yards  until  it  reaches  the  portion  of  our  line 
which  is  held  by  the  gallant  Pat  Cleburne  and  his 
famous  division. 

"Ah!  what  heroes  Cleburne  and  Cheatham  are. 
They  are  the  two  lions  of  the  Confederate  army,— 
Cheatham  combining  the  resistless  impetuosity  of  a 
Frenchman  in  a  charge,  with  the  bull-dog  grip  of  an 
Englishman  or  Russian,  when  told  to  hold  a  position 
despite  whatever  odds  are  hurled  against  him  ;  and 
Cleburne,  with  the  fiery  gallantry  of  an  Irishman,* 
as  he  is,  in  assault  sweeping  everything  before  him 

parerSile!'"''^  '"'''^^  ^""'^^^  ''^'  ^''""'  ^""^  raising,  but  he  was  of  English 


22 


KENNESAW'S  BOMBARDMENT. 


like  a  torrado;  and  shooting  out,  if  I  may  use  the 
comparisoD,  the  fervid  heat  of  an  iron  furnace 
against  all  who  attempt  to  penetrate  whatever 
stronghold  he  is  directed  to  occupy. 


Kem 

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bdereon    S     ^  „^ (^      ^jT|, 


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Camp 


M  A  R  1  F  T T  A •  ''S^^-'^A'f<^'^\>^'^H^\\\^^^ 


AiS^D  VICINITY. 

'/i         0  1  2  MILES. 


¥"P  S'SjtiJbZion  thuTch!  iXrossing^^ 

^'Camp^^/w.PhillipaKNr^^/^'^-^ ^WVIclJ 

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^Dan-elUMiulp 


"Then  beginning  this  side  of  the  Marietta  and 
Dallas  wagon  road,  within  less  than  a  mile  from 
here  and  following  the  line  up  this  way,  is  the  divi- 
sion of  General  Bate,  of  Tennessee;  while  right 
adjoining  him,  and  coming  up  to  the  very  foot  of 
the  mountain  beneath  us,  is  your  Georgia  general, 


WAKING  UP  THE  BATTERIES.         23 

Wm.  H.  T.  Walker,  a  comparatively  small  man  in 
stature,  but  one  who  could  give  Julius  C?esar 
some  lessons  in  courage  if  the  great  Roman  were 
alive  to-day.  These  four  divisions  compose  Gen- 
eral Hardee's  corps. 

"Then  General  French's  division  starts  near  the 
foot  of  the  mountain  and  comes  up  to  where  we  are, 
and  runs  along  before  us  around  the  side  of  the 
mountain,  and  thence  crosses  the  ravine  to  our 
right  and  up  almost  to  the  very  summit  of  Great 
Kennesaw  over  yonder,  where  he  joins  General 
Walthall,  whose  courage  is  the  admiration  of  the 
army ;  thence,  as  we  go  down  the  mountain  to  its 
base  we  could  spe,  if  we  were  on  Big  Kennesaw, 
where  Featherston's  division  ends  beyond  the 
Western  &  Atlantic  Railroad,  and  Wheeler's  dis- 
mounted cavalry  occupies  the  trenches  which  up  to 
yesterday  General  Hood's  corps  have  held,  and 
which  extend  for  nearly  a  mile  east  of  here ;  but 
General  Hood'scommand  has  been  transferred*  from 

-"As  the  extension  of  the  Federal  army  toward  the  Chattahoo- 
chee made  a  corresponding  one  necessary  on  our  part,  Hood's 
corps  was  transferred  from  the  right  to  the  Marietta  and  Powder 
Spring  road,  his  right  near  the  south  of  Cheatham's  left.  General 
Hood  was  instructed  to  endeavor  to  prevent  any  progress  of  the 
Federal  right  toward  the  railroad,  the  course  of  which  was  nearly 
parallel  to  our  left  and  centre.  Our  position,  consequently,  was  a 
very  hazardous  one." — Johnston's  Narrative,  page  339. 

"Johnston  had  begun  to  be  concerned  for  the  Marietta  and 
Powder  Spring  road,  for  Hookers  right  was  close  to  it,  aud  Scho- 
field's  movements  were  threatening  to  put  him  astride  of  it. 
Hardee  had  stretched  his  lines  quite  as  lar  as  was  aaie,  and  the 
Confederate  commander  determined  to  move  the  whole  of  Hood's 
corps  from  the  right  to  the  left  flank.  Ordering  Wheeler  to  show 
a  bold  front  and  make  as  strong  a  fight  with  his  dismounted  cav- 
alry as  he  could,  Johnston  lelc  these,  with  such  help  as  could  be 
got  by  stretching  Loring's  corps  to  the  right,  to  fill  the  trenches 
out  of  which  Hood  was  drawn.  This  movement  was  made  in  the 
night  of  the  21st.  -  -  -  It  is  uncertain  to  what  degree  Loring's 
corps  had  been  extended  to  Johnston's  right  to  supply  the  place 
from  which  Hood  had  been  taivcn ;  but  it  is  hardly  credible  that 


24         KENNESAWS  BOMBARDMENT. 

tliat  j)osition  to  our  extreme  left,  and  occupies  a 
iine  of  works  which  ruu  probably  a  mile  or  two 
southward.  He  had  a  .pretty  tough  fight  down 
yonder  yesterday  near  Kolb's  farm,  and  I  am  sorry 
to  say  we  got  the  worst  of  it.  The  Yankees,  you 
see,  are  swinging  to  their  right  and  to  cur  left 
whicii  is  south  of  us.  They  are  attempting  to  get 
possession  of  the  railroad  in  our  rear,  and  all  of 
General  Johnston's  anxiety  now,  I  think,  is  to 
maintain  his  communications.  We  must  protect 
the  railroad  or  we  cannot  hold  Marietta  and  Kenne- 
saw  Mountain." 

*'God  grant  that  they  may  never  secure  a  further 
lodgement  on  our  State  road!"  said  Miss  Harper, 
"for  Kennesaw,  the  citadel  of  Georgia,  must  be 
held,  or  the  waves  of  war's  tempest  will  dash 
around  Atlanta  itself." 

"Yes;  that  is  true,"  said  Captain  Ward,  "if  Ken- 
nesaw is  given  up  Atlanta  will  have  the  enemy  at 
her  doors.  And,  speaking  of  Atlanta,  now  look  to 
the  southeast,  and  you  can  plainly  see  the  church 
spires  and  the  smoke  from  the  foundries  in  Atlanta, 
twenty  miles  distant.  There  is  the  goal  of  Sher- 
man's ambition.  There  is  the  heart  of  the  Con- 
federacy;   and   if  the  Yankees  can  pierce  it,  the 

Wlieelei's  eavah-y  alone  liad  been  able  to  imi)ose  upon  McPherson, 
mIio  certainly  befieved  and  reported  that  the  intrenchment-)  in  his 
front  were  held  by  infantrv."— Cox's  '  Atlanta,''  pp.  ins,  11.".. 

It  may  be  "hardly  credible,'"  but  Wheeler's  cavalry  did 
"impose  upon  McPherson'"  nevertheless. 

l-'eatherston.s  division  of  Loring"s  corps  was  extended  from 
the  Western  \-  Atlantic  Railroad,  where  its  right  originally  rested, 
only  al)Oul.  a  couple  of  hundred  yards  east  ot  it,  and  the  rest  of  the 
entrenchments  of  Hood's  corjis  were  held  by  Wheeler"s  dis- 
moiuited  cavalry. 


26        KENNESAWS  BOMBARDMENT. 

South  will  then  receive  her  most  desperate  wound."" 

"What  mountain  is  that  which  rises  'solitary  and 
alone'  out  of  the  plain  to  the  left  of  Atlanta?"  asked 
Miss  Harper. 

''That  is  Stone  Mountain,"  said  Captain  Ward, 
''one  of  Georgia's  curiosities.  See,  it  sits  upon  the 
level  horizon  like  a  huge  cone  or  helmet." 

"Yes,  sir,"  answered  the  young  lady,  "I  now 
remember  it  well." 

"And  over  to  the  east,  beyond  Big  Kenuesaw 
some  five  miles  or  more,  is  Black  Jack  Mountain 
with  its  several  crests.  Then  look,  too,  to  the 
north  at  those  high  peaks  which  pierce  the  horizon. 
Those  are  the  Allatoona  Mountains.  If  you  will 
examine  closely,  you  can  see  a  depression  in  the 
ridge  just  this  side  of  the  mountains.  That  is 
Allatoona  Pass,  an  artificial  cut  over  a  hundred  fpet 
deep,  through  which  the  Western  &  Atlantic  rail- 
road emerges  from  the  mountain  fastnesses  into  the 
open  country  on  this  side.  All  the  desperate  fight- 
ing which  we  had  in  the  wilderness  around  New 
Hope  Church  was  caused  by  Sherman's  flank  move- 
ment there,  which  was  intended  to  force  us  to  give 
up  the  Allatoona  Pass. 

"The  fighting  was  the  most  desperate  and  bloody 
which  we  have  had  since  the  campaign  opened; 
but  Sherman  accomplished  his  purpose  by  making 
the  line  too  long  for  us  to  hold  with  our  inferior 
numbers,  and  we  fell  back  to  Kennesaw. 

"The  trains,  with  supplies  for  the  Yankee  army, 
now   come   through    the   pass    and    down    to   Big 


WAKING  UP  THE  BATTERIES.         27 

Shanty,  which  you  see  over  yonder  about  six  miles 
to  the  north,  but  for  the  present,  at  least.  General 
Johnston  says  to  them,  'Thus  far  and  no  farther.' 

'*Ah!  by  the  way,  Miss  Harper,"  said  Captain 
Ward,  "direct  the  field-glass  almost  immediately 
south  of  us  to  that  house  in  a  grove  just  by  the 
Dallas  road  from  Marietta,  and  in  the  suburbs  of 
Marietta.  That  is  Mr.  Kirkpatrick's  house,  which 
is  General  Johnston's  headquarters." 

"Oh,  Captain  Ward,"  said  Jack,  'Hhe  Yankees 
^re  down  there  all  along  the  front  of  our  men,  ain't 
they?" 

"Yes,  Jack,"  replied  Captain  Ward,  "it  is  too 
■true  that  they  are ;  and  they  are  very  close  neigh- 
bors, too.  We  had  much  rather  have  their  room 
than  their  company;" — then  turning  to  Miss  Har- 
per, he  continued : 

"Right  in  front  of  our  line,  and  not  more  than 
some  three  or  four  hundred  yards  distant  on  an 
average,  the  Yankee  army  is  maintaining  its  death- 
grapple  with  ours.  Look  and  see,  almost  as  far  as 
the  eye  can  reach  to  the  southwest,  those  white  dots 
on  the  earth  show  the  thousands  of  tents  of  the 
Yankee  army.  You  observe  they  come  in  a  sort 
of  irregular  line  up  from  the  south  to  the  west, 
then  make  an  angle  and  whiten  the  fields  and 
forests  below  us  on  the  north.  Occasionally  you 
see  hundreds  of  them  apparently  grouped  together 
like  a  town.  These  are  where  some  divisions  are 
in  reserve,  instead  of  being  located  in  line  of  battle 
behind  regular  works.     There  must  be  at  least  ten 


28        KENXESAW'S  BOMBARDMENT. 

thousand  of  them  in  reach  of  the  eye.  Then 
notice  the  white  specks  which  are  moving  in  long 
lines.  Those  are  the  Yankee  wagon-trains.  There 
are  some  ambulances  for  the  wounded  among  them 
which  our  boys  make  them  hav-e  a  good  deal  of  use 
for.  Down  yonder  to  the  south  in  front  of  Cheat- 
ham's and  part  of  Cleburne's  lines  is  Hooker's 
corps, — 'Fighting  Joe'  Hooker,  as  the  Yankees  call 
him,  and  it  must  be  admitted  that  he  is  a  pretty 
tough  fighter;  but  he  has  met  his  match  withcuit 
any  question  when  he  faces  our  redoubtable  Ten- 
nesseean  and  the  'Con'ederate  Irishman,'  as  the 
Yankees  call  Cleburne.  Up  at  Ringgold,  just 
two  days  after  our  defeat  at  Missionary  Ridge, 
Cleburne  gave  Hooker  a  whipping  which  will  go 
down  to  history.  Hooker,  by  the  way,  has  the  only 
corps  of  eastern  troops  who  are  in  Sherman's  army. 
The  rest  are  western  men ;  and  we  find  the  western 
pioneers  are  generally  harder  fighters  than  ea-tern 
shop-clerks;  but  Hooker  partially  counteracts  that 
by  his  personal  skill  and  dash. 

"Thence  on  Hooker's  left,  and  coming  up  this> 
way,  is  Palmer's  corps.  They  are  good  fighters, 
too,  and  we  have  our  hands  full  holding  them  off; 
but  they  have  not  made  such  progress  as  they  must 
naturally  desire,  even  if  they  have  overwhelm- 
ing numbers.  Further  up  this  way,  and  almost 
beneath  us,  is  the  Fourth  Corps,  which  General 
Howard  commands.  He  is  the  one,  you  know, 
that  Pat  Cleburne  administered  such  a  terrible 
drubbing   to,    over    near   New  Hope   Church   and 


30        KENNESAWS  BOMBARDMENT. 

Pickett's  Mill  (»n  the  27th  of  last  moDth,  and,  by 
the  way,  that  was  uorthwest  of  here,  to  the  right  of 
Lost  Mountain,  which  you  see  rising  so  promi- 
nently over  yonder. 

•  "Cleburne  was  on  our  right  up  there,  and  the 
Yankees  were  trying  to  ilank  us  that  evening,  and 
he  was  ordered  to  check  the  movement  at  all  haz- 
ards. He  took  position  in  the  forest  on  the  hill- 
side, and  the  Yankees  came  down  the  opposite  hill 
and  up  that  one  in  six  lines.  They  marched  up 
the  ascending  slope  until  all  at  once  their  front  line 
found  itself  facing  Cleburne's  men  in  the  open 
forest.  There  was  not  the  sign  of  a  breastwork 
occupied  by  either.  Cleburne  made  his  men  hold 
their  fire  until  the  Yankees  had  come  up  to  within 
about  fifteen  paces  of  them,  and  then  gave  the 
order.  Such  a  destructive  volley  has  scarcely  ever 
been  seen  in  warfare.  It  is  said  that  out  of  several 
hundred  men  only  seven  were  left  standing.  The 
next  column  came  up;  but  our  boys  had  gotten 
ready  again,  and  felled  nearly  every  one  of  them 
with  the  second  volley.  Then  they  had  it  hot  and 
heavy  for  awhile;  but  the  Yankees  were  utterly 
routed." 

"Then  we  gave  them  the  worst  kind  of  a  beating, 
didn't  we,  Captain  Ward?"  said  Jack. 

"Yes,  Jack,"  answered  Captain  Ward,  laughing 
heartily,  "we  gave  them  as  bad  a  beating  as  they 
ever  had;"  and,  continuing,  he  said,  "Down  in 
front  of  the  mountain,  and  joining  Howard's  corps 
on  the  left,   is  Logan's,  which  extends,  fronting  us. 


WAKING  UP  THE  BATTERIES.        31 

to  and  across  the  Western  &  Atlantic  Railroad, 
which  crosses  Noonday  valley  on  that  huge  red 
embankment  you  see  down  yonder  ;  and  on  that 
little  rise  which  you  observe  just  east  of  the  rail- 
road, the  Yankees  in  his  command  are  constructing 
a  casemated  battery  which,  I  fear,  will  worry  us  a 
great  deal."  * 

"What  is  a  casemated  battery?"  inquired  Miss 
Harper. 

"Why,  it  is  one  which  is  covered  up.  They  first 
make  entrenchments  and  put  their  cannon  in  them, 
and  then  build  a  framework  of  logs  above,  and  on 
the  top  they  place  a  timber  roof  over  all  these,  and 
on  this  roof  they  pile  a  thick  layer  of  earth,  so  that 
a  shell  from  above  falling  upon  it,  makes  practically 

From  Keporr  of  Gen.  P.  J.  Osterhaus. 

-"These  sharpshooters  had  been  annoying  the  artillerists  and 
infantry  m  my  main  works  considerably.  ■■'■  ■■■  ='•'•  In  following  up 
the  enemy,  however,  it  was  found  that  he  had  only  fallen  back 
about  a  mJle  into  a  second  line  of  works  running  along  the  crest  of 
Kennesaw  and  on  the  slope  east  and  west,  thus  protecting  the  town 
of  Marietta  about  three  miles  in  their  rear.  -  -=  •■'  On  the  20th 
of  Jane,  in  pursuance  to  orders  received.  Col.  Williamson's  (2nd) 
Brigade  deployed  on  the  crest  of  the  hill  to  the  right  of  the  second 
division,  where  he  entrenched  himself.  This  position  was  in  the 
direct  front  of  the  rebel  batteries  placed  on  the  very  summit  of 
Bi^  Kennesaw,  and  exposed  to  their  plunging  tire.  Between  the 
right  of  Col.  Williamson's  line  and  the  (Western  &  Atlantic)  rail- 
road, which  here  runs  through  a  gap  in  the  mountains,  was  a  con- 
siderable interval.    =:=    =:'•    '■' 

"In  order  to  resist  the  artillery  fire  which  the  enemy  con- 
stantly kept  up  from  his  batteries  (as  well  as  musketry  fire  from 
the  rifle  pit?  on  the  slope  of  the  mountain)  while  these  lines  were 
being  established,  I  built  two  casemated  batteries  for  my  rifled 
guns  (two  3-inch  Rodman  and  two  20-pound  Prfrrotts." 

Gen.  Osterhaus  adds,  regarding  the  operations  of  June  23d: 
"I  opened  fire  from  these  batteries,  and  with  such  precision  that 
the  mountain  batteries  were  not  only  silenced  wnenever  they 
opened,  but  were  entirely  withdrawn  June  25th." 

This  last  statement  was  either  an  intentional  fiction  or  a  care- 
less mistake;  for  these  batteries  were  not  withd-awn  until  the 
night  of  July  2nd,  and,  in  fact,  during  a  part  of  that  day  (July  2nd) 
they  maintained,  for  some  two  hours  or  more,  a  very  hot  bombard- 
ment upon  the  Federal  position  below. 


32        KENNESAW'S  BOMBARDMENT. 

no  impression.  We  have  either  to  fire  right  into  a 
port-hole  or  our  discharge  goes  for  nothing.  From 
this  elevation,  or  from  a  long  distance,  a  shot  will 
not  enter  a  casemated  battery. 

"Over  on  this  line  to  the  east  of  the  railroad, 
fronting  Great  Kennesaw  and  extending  east  of  it, 
is  Blair's  corps,  of  McPherson's  army,  as  we  under- 
stand it.  They  only  arrived  at  the  front  and  reen- 
forced  Sherman's  grand  army  last  week.  Several  days 
ago  they  made  an  impetuous  attack  upon  and  cap- 
tured an  entire  regiment  of  our  boys.  The  men  on 
top  of  the  mountain  saw  the  whole  thing;  but  there 
was  no  means  of  signaling  them  to  retreat.  * 

"And  that  remiuds  me,  look  yonder  1o  the  sum- 
mit of  Great  Kennesaw,  Miss  Harper,  see  that  red 
flag  which  the  man  on  top  of  the  rock  is  waving  as 
against  the  sky.  That  is  our  signal  flag.  That  is 
now  being  watched  through  field-glasses  from  Mari- 
etta and  from  several  other  points.  The  man  is 
giving  information  of  the  Yankee  army's  movements 
as  seen  from  the  mountain  top. 

■•■="0n  the  15th  we  advanced  our  general  lines,  intending  to 
attack  at  any  weak  point  discovered  between  Kennesaw  and  Pine 
Mountain;  but  Pine  Mountain  was  found  to  be  abandoned,  and 
Johnston  had  contracted  h's  front  somewhat,  on  a  direct  line,  con- 
necting Ken  lesaw  with  Lost  Mountain.  Thomas  and  Schofield 
thereby  gained  about  two  miles  of  most  difficult  country,  and 
McPherson's  left  lapped  well  around  the  north  end  of  Kennesaw. 
We  captured  a  ^od  many  prisoners,  among  them  a  whole  infantry 
regiment,  the  Fourteenth  Alabama,  three  hundred  and  twenty 
strong."— Sherman's  Memoirs,  Vol.  II,  page  54. 

An  uncle  of  the  author  was  on  the  mountain  top  and,  through 
a  field-glass,  saw  the  Federals  surround  this  regiment  (the 
Fortieth,  instead  of  the  Fourteenth,  Alabama)  in  the  forest,  and 
observed  them  throw  down  their  arms  in  surrender,  and  march 
off  to  the  rear  of  the  Federal  position,  under  guard. 

"Oh  !  how  we  did  wish,"  said  he  to  the  author,  "when  we  saw 
the  Yankees  circling  through  the  woods  on  either  side  to  get 
behind  them,  that  we  had  some  means  of  signaling  to  them  from 
the  mountain  top,  to  let  them  know  their  danger." 


WAKING  UP  THE  BATTERIES.        3 

"A  few  days  ago  I  remember  his  message  was 
one  which  brought  poignant  grief  to  every  man  in 
the  army.  It  was  the  information  that  our  grand 
Bishop-General  Polk  had  just  been  killed  on  the 
summit  of  Pine  Mountain.  The  information  was 
signalled  from  the  station  on  Pine  Mountain  to  that 
on  Kennesaw,   and    thence  repeated  to  the  other 


<r-'5^\^ 


DEATH   OF   GENERAL   POLK. 

Stations  around  here.     Ah !  that  was  worse  than  a 
killing  in  battle,— that  was  a  tragedy." 


34        KENNESAWS  BOMBARDMENT. 

**Yes,"  exclaimed  Miss  Harper  with  a  shudder, 
■'that  was  war's  most  awful  tragedy.  May  God 
have  mercy  upon  the  hands  that  did  it!" 

''After  his  death,"  continued  Captain  Ward, 
"his  remains  were  brought  down  to  the  Hardage 
house,  which  you  see  in  that  clump  of  trees  yonder 
to  the  northwest,  and  scarcely  a  half  mile  from  the 
western  end  of  the  mountain.  The  Burnt  Hickory 
road  from  Marietta  runs  right  by  the  house.  The 
body  of  the  noble  old  man  lay  in  an  ambulance 
under  a  grand  oak  tree  for  a  couple  of  hours  before 
they  got  everything  ready  and  carried  it  to  Marietta 
to  send  to  Augusta  for  burial," 

"Yes,"  said  Miss  Harper,"  "I  remember  coming 
up  from  Atlanta  on  the  train  several  days  ago,  and 
the  conductor,  Mr.  Sanford  Bell,  was  telling  me 
that  the  Bishop's  remains  were  carried  down  to 
Atlanta  on  his  train." 

"But  let  us  go  forward  a  little,"  said  the  captain, 
"and  we  can  look  immediately  down  the  mountain 
side  on  the  north.  Hear  that  whistle!  and  look 
yonder.  Miss  Harper,  toward  Big  Shanty.  See  the 
train  of  cars  coming  down  the  Western  &  Atlan- 
tic Railroad,  in  the  rear  of  the  Yankee  lines  and 
toward  the  mountain.  Ah,  the  rascals!  the  very 
same  railroad  which  is  our  sole  dependence  for  sup- 
plies from  the  south  is  also  their  sole  means  of 
communication  with  the  north.  Where  we  have  it, 
it  is  our  salvation,  and  where  they  have  it,  it  is  one 
of  the  strongest  weapons  against  us.  Their  every 
great  movement  heretofore  has  been  for  the  purpose 


WAKING  QP  THE  BATTERIES.         35 

of  breakiDg  it  in  our  rear,  and  thus  paralyzing  us; 
and  we  could  afford  to  give  almost  a  fourth  of  our 
army  if  we  could  ruin  it  in  their  rear. 

''And,  by  the  way,  speaking  of  the  railroad 
reminds  me  of  an  achievement  by  a  Yankee  engi- 
neer several  days  ago,  which,  although  it  chagrined 
us  a  good  deal  at  the  time,  yet,  I  must  confess, 
appeals  more  highly  to  our  admiration  than  to  our 
resentment. 

"While  a  number  of  us  were  strengthening  our 
works  on  the  mountain,  and  otherwise  occupying 
our  time  as  profitably  as  soldiers  on  the  lookout  can, 
some  one  called  our  attention  to  a  locomotive 
which  was  coming  down  from  the  direction  of  Big 
Shanty  toward  the  mountaiii, 

'*  'What  are  they  after?'  was  the  general  inquiry, 
'is  it  bearing  a  flag  of  truce?' 

"Through  our  field-glasses  several  of  us  could 
see  the  engine  as  it  came  at  the  rate  of  six  or  eight 
miles  an  hour  toward  our  lines. 

"Our  soldiers  in  the  breastworks  could  be  ob- 
served getting  upon  the  parapets  in  swarms,  and 
we  could  imagine  the  curiosity  they  felt  at  seeing 
the  Yankee  locomotive  coming  straight  forward,  as 
if  its  engineer  was  trying  to  get  away  from  old 
Sherman  and  bring  a  first-class  prize  with  him  as 
an  oflfering  of  loyalty  to  us. 

"Suddenly  he  began  to  slow  down,  and  within 
less  than  a  minute  the  engine  stopped,  apparently 
within  scarcely  a  hundred  yards  in  front  of  our 
works. 


36       KENNESAW'S  BOMBARDMENT. 

''We  then  saw  her  begin  to  back  toward  the 
Yankee  lines,  after  her  engineer  had  first  made  her 
give  a  saucy,  shrill  whistle  which  was  plainly  heard 
by  every  man  up  here. 

''The  next  instant  we  could  see  an  irregular  suc- 
cession of  puffs  of  smoke  breaking  forth  from  all 
along  our  breastworks  as  far  as  they  were  within 
range  or  sight  of  her,  and  a  moment  afterward  the 
rattling  sound  of  musketry  was  faintly  heard  from 
below. 

"'Spying  our  works,  by  jingo!'  yelled  a  soldier 
up  here,  and  another  added,  'Ain't  that  the  most 
audacious  trick  you  ever  saw  a  Yankee  pley?' 

"Another  shrill  blast  of  the  whistle  was  heard,  as 
the  engine  began  accelerating  her  backward  motion 
every  instant. 

"All  at  once  the  boom  of  a  cannon  was  heard, 
and  we  saw  the  cloud  of  smoke  arising  from  that 
high  hill  on  the  right  of  the  railroad,  which  is 
called  Brush  Mountain,  and  a  smaller  cloud  and 
report  right  beyond  the  now  flying  locomotive  told 
us  that  a  shell  had  been  sent  after  her  by  one  of 
our  batteries. 

"The  example  was  contagious,  and  from  all 
along  the  top  of  the  mountain  the  yell  arose,  'Open 
fire  upon  the  impudent  scoundrels,  and  blow  their 
engine  up.' 

"Every  artilleryman,  without  needing  orders, 
ran  to  the  guns,  and,  before  a  minute  had  elapsed, 
one  of  Guibor's  guns  banged  away  and  sent  a  shell 
after  her.     But,  gracious!  the  shell  missed  her  fully 


WAKING  UP  THE  BATTERIES.        37 

three  hundred   yards.     For  once  in  his  life  Sam 
Kennard  made  a  bad  shot. 

"The  rest  of  us  followed  suit,  and  the  loud  reports 
from  Big  Kennesaw  told  that  the  artillery  over 
there  was  also  after  her. 

"We  could  see  the  smoke  from  the  explosion  of 
our  shells  and  from  those  on  the  hills  below,  but 
I  don't  think  a  single  one  struck  within  a  hun- 
dred yards  of  the  engine.  The  Yankee  escaped, 
and  no  doubt  was  a  great  hero  in  his  camp, — and 
deservedly  so  I  must  admit,  for  it  was  certainly  a 
most  daring  deed,  and  one  which  calls  for  the 
applause  of  all  brave  men. 

"We  were  naturally  a  little  fretted  at  the  success 
of  the  fellow  in  coming  almost  into  our  lines  and 
then  giving  us  the  slip,  and  in  the  most  saucy  man- 
ner too ;  but  next  morning  we  felt  somewhat  dis- 
comfited when  some  one  told  us  that  a  Yankee 
picket  who  had  been  captured,  had  stated  that  the 
engineer  and  an  officer,  named  Potter,  had  been 
sent  down  toward  our  lines  in  the  locomotive,  by 
General  Sherman's  orders,  to  draw  our  fire  and 
determine  the  location  of  our  guns  on  the  mountain 
and  among  the  hills.  He  said  they  were  in  great 
glee  over  the  success  of  the  venture. 

"You  see  that  was  practically  the  first  pass  they 
had  made  at  us  since  we  abandoned  the  New  Hope 
Church  line  of  defense  and  assumed  this  at  Ken- 
nesaw Mountain,  hence  the  development  of  the 
location  of  our  new  line  was  an  important  matter 
for  them.     Their  locomotive  scheme  beat  sending 


38        KENNESAW'S  BOMBARDME^^T. 

forward  several  thousand  men  and  running  them 
into  an  ambush,  or  at  least  getting  them  caught 
between  a  cross  fire  from  strong  works  such  as 
we  have. 

"However,  if  it  was  any  source  of  gratification  to 
them,  they  are  welcome  to  it,  for  they  have  not  had 
any  success  worth  bragging  about  since  they  have 
been  fighting  around  Kennesaw,  unless  we  except 
General  Hood's  defeat  below  here  yesterday. 
Hood's  rashness  and  independence  of  action  have^ 
on  two  or  three  occasions  during  the  campaign, 
amounted  almost  to  insubordination.  Oh,  if  Pat 
Cleburne  or  Cheatham  were  only  in  command  of 
that  corps,  instead  of  Hood,  we  would  have  every 
reason  to  be  satisfied  I  I  have  heard  it  intimated 
that  General  Hood  is  quietly  intriguing  for  the 
command  of  the  army  in  General  Johnston's  stead. 
Woe  be  to  the  army,  the  cause  and  the  country 
if  he  succeeds ! 

"Ah!  but  look  down  yonder,  Miss  Harper,  to- 
the  right  of  Big  Kennesaw,  and  close  to  its  base. 
See  that  multitude  of  white  spots,  some  of  them 
moving  about  in  that  open  field.  That  is  our 
wagon  train.  It  has  been  placed,  as  you  see,  be- 
hind the  mountain ;  but  since  the  Yankees  began 
throwing  shells  over  the  summit  some  two  or  three 
days  ago  they  have  caused  a  good  deal  ot  confusion 
down  there.  General  Walthall  was  speaking  of  it 
last  night,  and  laughingly  remarked  about  the 
shells,  which  exploded  in  the  air  and  scattered  their 
fragments  promiscuously  below,    'Whenever   they 


WAKING  UP  THE  BATTERIES.        39 

fail  to  hit  a  man  they  frighten  a  mule,  consequently 
the  wagon  train  is  in  an  uproar  half  the  time.'" 

"But,  oh!  what  is  the  matter  with  those  poor 
fellows  who  are  lying  on  the  ground,  while  their 
comrades  seem  trying  to  make  them  comfortable?" 
asked  Miss  Harper. 

"There  has  been  considerable  sickness  in  our 
division,  as  well  as  others  recently,"  said  Captain 
Ward.  "The  hot  weather,  night  marches,  expos- 
ure to  heavy  rains,  loss  of  sleep  and  the  lack  of 
vegetables,  and  the  consequent  diet  of  bread  and 
bacon  only  has  told  on  them.  I  have,  in  fact 
for  several  days,  been  sick  myself,  and  came  on 
duty  this  morning  for  the  first  time  in  a  week,  and, 
to  tell  the  truth,  ought  not  to  have  come  to-day; 
but  I  felt  that  I  ought  to  be  at  my  post  if  it  were 
possible.  General  Johnston  is  appealing  to  the 
people  to  send  us  vegetables,  and  using  every  means 
in  his  power  to  remedy  the  evil.  Ah  !  the  general 
public  does  not  appreciate  how  nobly  he  watches 
over  his  soldiers;  but  we  see  it  evidenced  by  a 
dozen  or  more  proofs  every  day.  Not  only  does  he 
endeavor  to  prevent  any  useless  sacrifice  of  the  lives 
of  his  men,  but  he  constantly  attempts  to  keep  them 
healthy,  and  I  can  safely  say  that  nine-tenths  of  the 
men  in  this  army  have  the  most  unbounded  con- 
fidence in  their  commander.  In  fact,  I  have  never 
seen  or  heard  of  an  army  which  was  so  devoted  to 
its  leader." 

"Oh,  Captain,  just  listen  to  those  cannon  firing 


40        KENNESAW'S  BOMBARDMENT. 

over  yonder  to  the  west;  let's  go  there  and  see 
what's  the  matter,"  exclaimed  Jack  eagerly. 

''Yes,"  said  Captain  Ward,  "there  is  heavy  firing 
going  on  below  the  foot  of  the  mountain,  on  the 
west;  I  have  been  noticing  the  sound  of  the  cannon 
for  some  minutes;  but  it  is  about  a  mile  from 
here  and  cannot  affect  us  on  the  mountain  top. 
But  let  us  go  over  toward  the  western  slope  and 
watch  it.  General  French,  Major  Storrs  and  a 
number  of  others  have  walked  that  way.  And 
I  should  like  to  introduce  you  to  General  French 
and  Major  Storrs.  They  are  both  such  perfect 
gentlemen,  as  well  as  splendid  commanders." 

"Oh!  Captain,  is  it  safe  to  go?"  asked  Miss  Har- 
per.    "Had  we  better  do  so?" 

"There  is  no  danger  at  all  up  here,  Miss  Harper," 
he  answered,  "the  fighting  is  on  the  hills  about  six 
hundred  feet  below  us,  and  fully  a  mile  away  from 
the  foot  of  the  mountain." 

They  walked  down  the  crest,  and  at  one  point 
behind  Guibor's  battery,  the  captain  remarked  : 

"Here  was  where  Lieutenant  McBride  was  killed 
by  a  Yankee  cannon  shot  last  Saturday.  He  was 
at  the  time  in  command  of  this  battery,  Captain 
Guibor  being  absent,  as  he  still  is,   from  sickness." 

"General  Johnston  sent  orders  for  the  batteries 
on  Kennesaw  Mountain  to  open  actively  on  the 
enemy  and  draw  their  fire,  and  thus  develop  their 
position  and  the  number  of  their  pieces  of  artillery. 

"This  we  did,  and  we  soon  had  a  considerable 
bombardment  directed  against  us  from   along  their 


WAKING  UP  THE  BATTERIES.         41 

line.  In  the  midst  of  this,  Major  Storrs  got  upon  a 
large  rock,  which  I  will  show  you  to  the  west  of  us, 
to  count  their  guns.  He  was  thus  occupied  for 
about  a  half  hour,  and,  irom  counting  them  over 
•carefully  several  times,  found  that  we  were  under 
fire  from  one  hundred  and  lorty  cannon.  One  of 
their  missiles  struck  McBride  and  killed  him. 
Poor  fellow  I  he  was  a  splendid  officer  and  a  most 
noble  gentleman.  He  was  one  who  was  always 
j*eady  for  au y  emergency ;  but  his  is  now  the  soldier's 
last  sleep:  he  has  fought  his  last  fight  and  the 
reveille  will  awake  him  no  more.  But  to  change 
the  subject  a  minute,"  added  the  captain,  "here  is 
•my  battery  near  the  end  of  the  peak.  I  have  four 
JNapoleons,  as  they  are  called.  You  see  them  here 
behind  the  parapets  of  rock  which  we  have  piled  up 
•on  the  otherwise  almost  naked  surface  of  granite ; 
And  I  suppose  you  have,  within  the  past  three  days, 
seen  the  smoke  of  our  guns  even  from  the  windows 
of  your  1  ome  in  Marietta." 

They  soon  reached  the  western  e^d  of  the  peak, 
-and  stood  upon  an  immense  bald,  rocky  formation 
which  was  its  extreme  point.  From  here  the  de- 
scent was  very  steep,  and  there  was  an  unobstructed 
Tiew  for  miles  to  the  west  and  south.  General 
French  and  Major  Storrs  were  standing  here  with 
-General  Cockrell  and  General  Ector,  the  latter  of 
whom  had  just  returned  from  a  visit  to  General 
J^ohnston's  headquarters;  and,  as  Captaia  Ward 
and  his  party  came  up.  General  French  who  stood 
facing  her,  bowed  very  politely  to  the  young  lady. 


42        KENNESAW'S  BOMBARDMENT. 

and  Captain  Ward  immediately  introduced  her  to 
the  three  officers. 

General  French  remarked,  "This  reminds  me  of 
a  visit  of  one  of  the  Graces  to  Olympus,  the  home 
of  the  thunder-clouds." 

"Yes,"  said  Miss  Harper,  "and  since  I  have 
gotten  up  here,  I  have  thought  for  twenty  times  or 
more  that  the  Grace  had  better  have  staid  at  home 
and  left  Mars  alone  to  associate  with  Jupiter." 

"Oh,  well,"  said  General  French,  Avith  a  laugh, 
"there  have  been  things  done  which  were  more 
imprudent  than  this." 

"And  you  can  say  another  thing,  Miss  Harper," 
said  General  Cockrell,  "and  that  is  that  very  few 
ladies  in  Georgia  have  looked  down  upon  a  battle, 
as  you  are  now  doing." 

"And,"  said  General  Ector,  "if  our  boys  down 
yonder  only  knew  how  fair  a  face  was  directed 
toward  them  from  up  here  almost  among  the  clouds, 
they  would  fight  as  they  have  hardly  ever  fought 
before.  You  are  observing  what  very  few  ladies 
have  ever  had  equal  chances  of  seeing." 

"Yes,"  added  Major  Storrs,  "there  are  very  few 
ladies  who  have  witnessed  so  fierce  a  bombard- 
ment from  opposing  batteries  without  being  in  any 
danger." 

"Here  we  are  up  on  the  eagle's  perch,"  said 
Captain  Ward,  "and  we  can,  without  fear,  glance 
downward  upon  the  dangers  of  those  who  are 
hundreds  of  feet  below  us." 

"But,"  said  Miss  Harper,   as  she  looked  back  at 


WAKING  UP  THE  BATTERIES.        48 

one  of  Captain  Ward's  pieces  of  artillery,  "we  are, 
as  General  French  said  a  minute  or  so  ago,  on 
Georgia's  Olympus  whence  the  thunderbolts  dart." 

"Well,"  answered  Captain  Ward,  "I  hope  the 
-Yankees  will  think  they  are  worse  than  thunder- 
bolts by  the  time  I  get  an  opportunity  to  open 
upon  them." 

"But,  look.  Miss  Harper,"  said  General  French, 
"see,  down  to  the  west  of  us,  the  dense  clouds  of 
smoke  which  are  rising  from  our  lines  and  those  of 
the  Yankees.  There  you  wiU  notice  those  quick 
puffs  which  burst  forth  as  from  the  earth.  The 
sound  is  like  near  thunder.  The  Yankees  have 
over  thirty  pieces  of  artillery  concentrated  against 
a  portion  of  our  lines.  Now  look  through  this 
glass,  and  you  can  see  strong  columns  of  the  enemy 
advancing  under  cover  of  that  heavy  bombardment, 
and  they  are  driving  in  our  skirmishers.  Those 
little  whiffs  of  smoke  which  from  up  here  appear  no 
larger  than  the  pufi  from  a  cigar,  are  the  discharges 
from  our  skirmish  line.  There,  they  come  in  pretty 
regular  array.  You  see  the  heavy  work  which  is 
being  done  by  our  batteries.  Those  are  on  our 
main  line,  and  the  Yankees  had  as  well  give  up 
any  attempt  against  that."  * 

*  "June  23.— Iu  accordance  with  request  of  General   Thomas 
I   tried  an  intrenched  height  in  front  of  General  Newton's  and 


Stanley's   position,   it  being  doubted  whether  or  not  this  was  a 

f)Osition  of  the  enemy's  main  line.  I  opened  upon  it  a  concen- 
rated  artillery  fire  from  as  many  guns  as  I  could  bring  to  bear, 
and  immediately  afterwards  advanced  a  strong  skirmish  line, 
which  drove  th°i  enemy  within  his  works  and  developed  a  heavy 
artillery  and  musketry  fire.  By  this  operation  I  advanced  our 
lines,  particularly  on  the  extreme  right,  to  very  close  proximity  to 
the  rebel  works.  These  proved  to  be  his  main  lines,  covered  by 
troublesome  abatis  and  other  entanglements." — Gen.  O.  O.  How- 
ard's Report  of  Operations  of  the  Fourth  Army  Corps. 


44       KENNESAW'S  BOMBARDMENT. 

They  gazed  intently  at  the  exciting  melee  in  the 
woods  far  below  them,  the  scene  being  somewhat 
obscured,  however,  by  the  smoke,  and  then,  as  the 
little  force  of  Confederates  was  seen  retreating  in 
groups,  firing  as  they  fled  before  the  storm  of 
shells  and  the  heavy  infantry  lines,  Miss  Haiper 
exclaimed : 

*'0h  !  the  sound  of  the  guns  is  terrible.  Do  you 
really  think  our  soldiers  will  be  able  to  hold  our 
position?  See  how  strong  the  Yankee  line  is,  com- 
pared with  ours." 

"Yes,  but  if  you  were  down  there  and  could  see 
our  men,  you  would  not  have  any  fear  that  the 
Yankee  column  which  is  now  moving  against,  it, 
would  be  able  to  break  it,"  answered  General 
French. 

They  stood  for  nearly  a  quarter  of  an  hour  longer, 
observing  the  fight  which  was  going  on.  This  was 
principally,  however,  an  artillery  duel,  with  the 
exception  that  the  Federals  had  moved  forward 
under  cover  of  the  fire  of  about  thirty  pieces  of 
artillery  and  had  somewhat  advanced  their  position 
toward  the  Confederate  main  works. 

''Captain  Ward,  what  is  that  man  doing?"  asked 
Jack,  pointing  to  a  soldier  who  was  sitting  on  a 
large  rock  with  a  pencil  and  a  sheet  of  paper, 
intently  surveying  the  panorama  below,  and  leis- 
urely sketching  it. 

* 'Ah!"  answered  the  captain,  "he  is  drawing  a 
picture  of  the  fight.  Jack.  Some  of  our  soldiers 
are  apt  artists." 


WAKING  UP  THE  BATTERIES.         45 

"Yes,"  said  the  soldier  with  a  smile,  "but  it's  a 
safe  disciple  of  art  I  am  this  time,  as  I  am  not 
under  fire,  but  securely  perched  above  the  fire. 
'  Toiiiada  en  globo'  (taken  from  a  balloon)  the  Span- 
iards say  of  some  panoramic  pictures  taken  mid-air 
by  venturesome  photographers ;  but  I  am  beating 
them,  for  I  have  a  firmer  foundation  to  rest  my 
easel  on." 

"Let  me  see,"  said  Miss  Harper,  leaning  over 
and  surveying  his  sketch,  "upon  my  word,  you 
have  made  such  a  true  picture.  There  is  Lost 
Mountain  on  the  horizon,  then  the  undulating  hills, 
and  below  us  is  the  open  field  at  the  end  of 
the  mountain,  and  the  dotted  lines  showing  the 
advancing  columns  of  soldiers  and  the  little  clouds 
of  smoke.     There  is  everything,  except  the  sound." 

"Thank  you  kindly.  Miss,"  answered  the  soldier 
with  a  bow,  *  T  will  always  be  proud  of  the  compli- 
ment." 

General  French  then  remarked,  "Well,  I  think 
that  we  have  seen  the  termination  of  to-day's  fight. 
The  enemy  have  no  idea  of  an  assault  at  present 
upon  our  line,  and  this  is  merely  the  cover  to  a 
partial  forward  movement." 

Captain  Ward  exclaimed,  "Yes,  that's  so.  Now 
Miss  Harper,  let  us  go  back  to  the  middle  of  the 
peak,  and  see  how  matters  are  getting  along  there. 
I  wish  to  point  out  one  or  two  other  objects  of 
interest  to  you." 

With  a  polite  bow  to  General  French  and  the 


46        KENNESAW'S  BOMBARDMENT. 

other  officers,   Captaiu  Ward  and  his  party  then 
left  them. 

"Captain  Ward,  is  that  man  waving  his  flag  [so, 
as  to  show  the  old  Yankees  that  we  have  still  got 
the  mountain  and  they  can't  take  it  away  from  us?" 
asked  Jack,  as  they  observed  an  officer  on  top  of  a 
high  rock  near  the  western  end  of  the  mountain 
and  just  where  it  began  sloping  down  toward  the 
north. 

"No,  Jack,  not  exactly  that,"  answered  the  cap- 
tain; "but  he  is  on  observation  here,  and  is  signal- 
ing to  our  men  on  the  front  side  of  Big  Kenne^aw, 
and  to  the  observation  post  west  of  Marietta,  and 
givinT  them  the  news  of  the  progress  and  result  of 
the  fight  down  below  us.  I  am  glad  it  is  favorable 
news  to-day. 

"That  is  what  we  call  'Observation  Rock.' 
From  it  Major  Storrs  counted  the  Yankee  guns,  as 
I  was  saying  a  while  ago;  and  every  day  the  officer 
on  observation  duty  on  this  end  of  the  mountain 
takes  his  position  upon  it,  and  from  there  can  see 
everything  to  the  north  and  west,  and  also  to  the 
south.  You  could,  if  you  were  upon  it,  look  over 
the  backbone  of  the  mountain  where  we  are,  and 
trace  our  line,  with  a  field-glass,  clear  down  to  the 
hill  where  General  Cheatham's  division  rests,  nearly 
three  miles  to  the  south,  besides  noticing  the  gen- 
eral level  of  the  country  for  miles  beyond." 

"What  a  queer  rock  it  is!"  said  Jack,  "you  can 
look  under  it  and  see  the  hills  and  fields  and  the 
Yankee  tents  in  front  of  the  mountain." 


WAKING  UP  THE  BATTERIES.         47 

"Yes,"  answered  the  captain,  "the  tempests  of  a 
great  many  ages  have  washed  the  under  side  of  it 
until  it  seems  to  rest  upon  the  mountain  top  as  if 


OBSERVATION   EOCK. 

it  was  not  there  originally,  but  had  been  thrown  up 
here  by  some  great  giant's  hand." 

"Whoopee!"  exclaimed  Jack  with  some  enthusi- 
asm, "Jack,  the  giant-killer,  would  have  had  a 
hard  time  killing  him,  wouldn't  he?" 


48        KENNESAWS  BOMBARDMENT. 

"I  should  think  he  would  have,"  replied  Captain 
Ward  with  a  smile;  "but  let  us  go." 

''This  is  your  battery,  I  believe  you  said  a  few 
minutes  ago,  did  you  not.  Captain  Ward?"  aske4 
the  young  lady,  as  they  were  passing  the  guns  near 
the  western  end  of  the  crest. 

"Yes,  these  are  mine, — four  Napoleons,"  replied 
the  captain,  "and  just  beyond  me  to  the  east  are 
three  Napoleon  guns  of  Guibor's  Missouri  battery. 
Their  other  gun  was  damaged  by  a  Yankee  shot, 
and  has  been  sent  to  Marietta  for  repairs.  These 
Missourians  are  magnificent  fighters,  and  they  are 
adepts  in  handling  this  battery. 

"Then,  on  their  right,  and  near  the  northeastern 
end  of  Little  Kennesaw,  is  a  section,  or  two  guns, 
of  Hoskins'  Mississippi  battery.  They  have  fine 
pieces,  and  they  deserve  them.  There  are  four 
brothers  named  Hoskins  in  this  battery,  one  of 
whom,  Captain  Jim  Hoskins,  commands  it.  They 
are  splendid  soldiers,  and  theirs  is  very  justly  con- 
sidered one  of  our  crack  batteries.  The  other  guns 
of  this  battery  are  down  the  western  slope  of  the 
mountain,  or  rather  of  the  hill  below  us  which  is 
really  Xhe  continuation  of  the  mountain." 


WAKING  UP  THE  BATTERIES.       49 


CHAPTER  III. 

They  soon  reached  the  eastern  end  of  the  ridge 
and  stood  behind  a  long  rock,  over  which  they  could 
look  through  a  glass  at  the  prospect  below. 

"What  are  those  men  after,  who  are  going  down 
the  mountain  side  with  their  guns?"  inquired  Miss 
Harper. 

"They  are  sharpshooters,  who  intend  trying 
to  pick  ofi  some  of  the  men  in  that  group  in  the 
field  down  in  front  of  us,"  replied  Captain  Ward. 
^'I  thought  they  had  gone  down  some  minutes  ago; 
but  they  seem  to  have  been  delayed." 

"They  were  just  getting  ready,"  said  a  private 
standing  by,  "but  now  they're  going  to  take  a  crack 
at  the  Yankees." 

"Oh,  my!  then  let  us  get  away  from  here.  It 
would  be  terrible  to  witness  the  death  of  any 
person,  even  if  an  enemy,"  exclaimed  the  young 
lady,  with  a  shudddr. 

"No,  Sis,  let's  see  if  they  hit  'em,"  said  Jack. 

"Oh,  no  indeed,  let  us  at  least  get  out  of  sight 
until  this  dreadful  scene  is  over.  I  cannot  remain 
longer,"  said  his  sister. 

"Well  then,  if  you  will  go,"  answered  the  captain, 
* 'there  is  a  large  rock  back  yonder,  behind  which 


50        KENNESAWS  BOMBAKDMENT. 

you  can  both  find  shelter  from  even  the  severest 
bombardment.  Just  take  ihem  down  there,  Minon, 
till  we  see  what  comes  of  this.  If  the  Yankees 
don't  get  after  Partridge,  they  can  come  back  here 
within  half  an  hour,  and  we  will  show  them,  in 
detail,  war's  most  imposing  panorama  below  us. 
It  is  well  worth  staying  to  see." 

'*I  think  we  had  better  return  home  I"  replied 
Miss  Harper. 

"No,  Sis,  you  go  back  behind  the  rock,  and 
I  will  stay  with  Captain  Ward,"  said  Jack. 

"Jack,"  said  the  captain,  "you  are  now  one  of 
my  soldiers;  I  detail  you  to  protect  your  sister. 
Go  back  with  her, — those  are  my  orders." 

"All  right,  captain,"  was  the  reply,  "but  can't 
I  come  back  after  a  while?" 

"You  must  not  come  till  I  tell  you  to  do  so,'^ 
said  the  captain. 

Miss  Mary  smiled  at  the  droll  scene,  and  the 
captain's  eye  twinkled,  while  Jack  with  childish 
lack  of  guile  took  it  all  in  sober  earnestness. 

Minon  then  took  the  two  behind  the  gigantic^ 
rock,  and,  spreading  a  blanket  on  the  grass,  ex- 
claimed, "Remain  here,  Miss  Harper,  and  Jack^ 
till  I  return.     You  are  in  no  danger  here." 

"All  right;  but  if  any  trouble  comes,  you  will 
see  us  safely  home  at  once,"  answered  the  young 
lady. 

"Certainly,  I  will  take  care  of  you,"  exclaimed 
Minon,  and  then  with  a  bow  hastened  back  to  his 
post  at  the  guns. 


WAKING  UP  THE  BATTERIES.         51 

Soon  the  sharp  crack  of  a  rifle  rang  out  from 
amid  the  cliffs. 

About  a  minute  later  two  others  were  heard. 

The  venturesome  Federals,  however,  were  not 
observed  as  showing  any  concern. 

"Wait  till  you  hear  from  Partridge,"  exclaimed 
Captain  Ward  to  Captain  Hoskins,  who  had  ex- 
pressed a  fear  that  they  had  not  gotten  the  range ; 
''he's  sheltered  behind  that  big  crag  to  the  right." 

He  had  hardly  spoken  before  "bang I"  went 
Partridge's  gun. 

"Ho!  hoi"  exclaimed  Col.  Young,  who,  like 
Captain  AVard,  was  watching  the  scene  through  a 
field  glass,  "he's  brought  down  the  game." 

"Yes,"  added  Captain  Ward,  "one  of  them  has 
fallen  from  his  horse,  and  there  is  quite  a  flutter 
among  the  rest.  They  are  getting  back  into  the 
woods  in  a  hurry.  But  see  that  fellow  galloping 
away  toward  the  battery  near  the  railroad  this  side 
of  Noonday  Creek." 

Another  report  of  a  sharpshooter's  rifle  inter- 
rupted, and  Captain  Ward  added  : 

"A  first  rate  shot;  he's  tumbled  him  out  of  the 
saddle.  I  won't  have  to  return  that  battery's  com- 
pliments until  they  send  another  messenger  of  evil 
tidings  to  it." 

"  That  was  Porter's  shot.  He  winged  the  bird 
as  it  flew,"  said  Lieutenant  Murphy,  of  Guibor's 
battery,  who  was  down  the  slope  watching  the  ri- 
flemen. 


52        KENNESAW'S  BOMBARDMENT. 

"Confound  this  atmosphere,"  exclaimed  an  artil- 
leryman, ''it's  so  heavy  that  the  smoke  from  those 
Enfield  rifles  hangs  around  the  crags  like  cotton. 
Ine  Yankees  can  see  it  with  their  glasses,  and  they 
will  get  the  range  of  our  Partridge  nest,  and  shell 
the  boys  behind  cover." 

"That's  so,  Tom,"  said  Colonel  Young,  "and 
1  see  two  horsemen  hurrying  toward  the  battery." 

Just  then  Generals  French  and  Cockrell  and 
Colonel  Barry  joined  the  group  in  front  of  the  para- 
-net,  and  the  former  asked,  "Are  the  boys  inter- 
fering with  the  curiosity  seekers?" 

"Yes,  General,"  replied  Colonel  Young,  "they 
have  only  a  minute  ago  scattered  a  party  who  were 
in  the  edge  of  that  field  down  yonder.  They  shot 
down  two  of  them." 

Three  reports  rang  out  in  quick  succession,  and 
Colonel  Barry  remarked,  "The  music  from  the 
smaller  instruments  is  beginning." 

"Yes,  but  wait  a  few  minutes,"  said  Captain 
Ward,  "and  you  will  hear  the  big  bass  drum. 
That  battery  down  in  front  is  going  to  open, 
if  I  mistake  not." 

"Yes,"  added  Captain  Hoskins,  "and  as  there  is 
no  telling  how  far  this  will  spread,  I'll  hurry  down 
to  my  two  guns  on  the  hill,"  and  walked  rapidly 
toward  the  west. 

A  couple  of  minutes  passed,  during  which  the 
parapets  were  lined  with  officers  and  soldiers,  whose 
attention  had  been  attracted  by  the  rifle  shots. 

Suddenly  a  volume  of  white  smoke  burst  forth 


WAKING  UP  THE  BATTERIES.        53 

from  the  top  of  the  hill  far  below,  and  then  the 
sullen  boom  of  a  cannon  woke  the  air. 

''That's  so,  lock  out  for  it!"  exclaimed  Col  nel 
Barry,  and  a  second  later  a  puff  of  smoke  arose  from 
the  forest  growth  about  a  hundred  yards  below,  to 
the  right,  and  the  sharp  report  of  an  exploding  shell 
rang  out. 

"Pretty  good,"  said  General  Cockrell,  ''Hurrah 
for  that  gunner  I  he's  come  very  near  landing  his 
very  first  charge  in  the  midst  of  the  boys." 

A  derisive  yell  arose  from  the  sharpshooters,  and 
several  other  shots  were  fired  by  them. 

About  a  minute  later  two  other  guns  in  the  Fed- 
eral battery  opened  upon  them;  but  these  fired 
wide  of  the  mark,  the  shells  falling  fully  t\vt)  hun- 
dred yards  from  the  sharpshooters'  nest. 

Then  the  crack  of  a  rifle  succeeded,  and  officers 
and  men  alike  burst  into  a  roar  oi  laughter. 

"That's  a  magnificent  duel,"  exclaimed  Major 
Storrs,  "a  bunch  of  riflemen  and  a  battery,  over  a 
half  a  mile  apart,  firing  at  each  other." 

"It  may  be  well  if  it  is  confined  to  them;" 
remarked  General  French,  "but  it  is  best  to  be 
prepared  to  reciprocate  any  gratuitous  favors  which 
those  gunners  may  dispense  for  our  benefit  up  here. 
Major,  hadn't  you  better  arrange  for  Captain  Ward 
and  Lieutenant  Harris  to  silence  that  battery  if  it 
gets  too  familiar?" 

"Yes,  General,  Captain  Ward  has  promised 
already  to  stand  by  the  boys  if  they  get  into  trou- 
ble," answered  Major  Storrs;   and  then,  turning  to 


54        KENNESAW'S  BOMBARDMENT. 

Captain  Ward,    he   remarked,    ''Captain,   suppose 
you  get  ready  for  that  fellow  if  he  fires  again." 

"All  right,  Major,"  said  Captain  Ward,  "I'll  try 
to  fix  him  so  that  he  won't  send  any  more  than  one 
'R.  S.  V.  P.'  missive  to  us,"  then  turning  to  E.  R. 
Matthews,  who  carried  the  battery  flag,  he  re- 
marked, "Matthews,  fasten  the  colors  to  that  stump 
of  a  sapling  in  front  of  the  parapet.  We  want  it 
in  front  of  our  guns,  and  in  full  view  of  the  enemy 
for  miles  around." 

Just  as  he  started  toward  one  of  the  guns  in  his 
battery,  which  was  about  a  hundred  yards  west 
from  where  they  were  standiog,  and  had  called 
three,  of  his  men  to  join  him,  three  almost  simulta- 
neous pufl^s  of  smoke  arose  from  the  Federal  bat- 
tery; and  the  reports  had  scarcely  reached  the  ears 
.1  those  on  the  mountain  top  before  two  shells  ex- 
ploded among  the  crags  near  the  sharpshooters'  den, 
and  a  third  buried  itself  in  the  ground  about  thirty 
yards  below  General  French  and  his  party,  and 
exploded,  scatteriug  earth,  rocks  and  fragments  on 
every  side. 

"Well,  gentlemen,  you  have  received  the  invita- 
tion to  the  ball ;  I  think  you  should  accept  it,  and 
lead  those  chaps  as  lively  a  dance  as  'old  Dan 
Tucker,'"  said  General  French  to  Major  Storrs  and 
the  artillery  captains.  "We  haven't  a  very  great 
amount  of  artillery  ammunition ;  but  we  had  better 
fire  a  few  rounds  and  impress  them  with  the  fact 
that  we  are  on  the  vigorous  defensive." 


WAKING  UP  THE  BATTERIES.        55 

*'Yes,"  said  the  major,  "let  the  men  come  to 
their  posts  and  prepare  for  action." 

A  general  hurrah  followed,  and  the  artillerymen 
hurried  to  their  guns  all  along  the  line. 

"Ah,  banner  of  beauty!"  exclaimed  the  captain, 
pausing  a  moment  and  gazing  at  the  flag  of  the 
Confederacy,  as  it  fluttered  in  the  breeze  above  his 
battery,  with  its  blue  cross  and  bright  stars  amid 
the  square  of  red  in  the  upper  left  hand  corner  and 
the  snowy  whiteness  of  the  balance  of  it.  "What 
nation,"  he  added,  "ever  boasted  a  flag  so  chaste 
and  elegant?  How  much  prettier  it  is  than  the 
old  stars  and  stripes!  Whenever  I  look  quietly 
at  it,  I  find  myself  wishing  that  I  were  a  Byron  or 
a  Scott,  so  that  I  might  express  in  words  the  real 
poetry  with  which  it  lights  up  my  soul.  Yes, 
whether  I  look  at  the  national  flag  or  its  child,  the 
battle  flag,  I  feel  like  calling  down  the  benison  of 
holy  Heaven  upon  it  and  all  who  are  true  to  it. 
May  a  gracious  God  bless  the  South  and  the  flag  of 
her  love ! " 

"Yes,"  said  Major  Storrs,  "that's  the  prettiest 
banner  I  ever  beheld,  and  it  is  typical  of  our  glori- 
ous Southland.  Long  may  it  wave,  and  long  may 
she  stand,  the  abode  of  liberty  and  happiness." 

"Those  are  all  sentiments  that  each  of  us  in- 
dorses," added  Colonel  Barry. 

General  French,  Major  Storrs  and  Colonels 
Young  and  Barry  joined  Captain  Ward,  who  had 
taken  personal  charge  of  one  of  the  pieces. 

"Let  me  cut  that  fuse,  Tom,"  said  the  captain  to 


56       KEXNE SAW'S  BOMBAKDMENT. 

one  of  the  men  who  had  brought  forward  a  shell » 
'*I  think  a  three  seconds'  length  will  just  about  get 
the  range  of  that  battery.  Now,  elevate  her  barely 
a  span,  boys:  there,  that's  too  much, — lower  her> 
ah!  now  you've  got  it;  now  turn  her  a  little  to  the 
left, — ha!  she's  right  at  last.  Now,  Cruse,"  said  he,, 
addressing  his  first  lieutenant,  who  was  very  fleshy, 
and  wore  eye-glasses,  "pull  off  your  own  eyes  and 
try  this  field  glass,  and  let  me  know  just  where  my 
shell  goes." 

Nearly  half  a  minute  succeeded,  then,  as  Captain 
Ward  himself  pulled  the  lanyard,  a  cloud  of  smoke 
shot  out,  enveloping  everything  for  yards  around,, 
and  a  deafening  roar  shook  the  mountain  top  and 
reverberated  like  thunder  through  the  air  far 
toward  the  !Etowah  Valley  and  the  Allatoona  Moun- 
tains. 

"A  good  shot.  Captain  Ward,  you  can't  do  that 
again,"  exclaimed  General  French,  "you  landed 
your  shell  right  in  the  midst  of  that  Yankee  bat- 
tery ;  and  that's  a  caisson  that's  exploded." 

"Yes,"  laughed  Cruse,  "when  I  was  cashier  in  a 
bank  I  never  handled  money  and  made  it  fit  the 
calculations  any  closer  than  you  did  that  gun." 

A  wild  yell  of  applause  arose  from  the  artillery- 
men and  the  spectators. 

"Well,  I'm  prepared  to  admit,"  said  Captain 
Ward,  "that  that  was  a  fortunate  accident,  and 
that  I  couldn't  do  it  again  in  twenty  shots." 

"Golly,  Mass  John,  dat  was  a  noble  shot!"  ex- 
claimed   Woodson,    Captain    Ward's   negro   cook,. 


WAKING  UP  THE  BATTERIES.        57 

**efyougiv'  'em  anudder  one  like  dat  dey'Jl  want 
to  git  back  ahind  de  Oostanauley  for  sho'.  Sock  it 
to  'em  agin." 

''Yes,  drat  'em,"  added  Daily,  General  French's 
cook,  "dey  broke  my  pans  yestiddy  wid  one  o'  dar 
splodin'  bumshells,  an'  I  can't  [cook  good  till  I  git 
some  more.     Smash  'em  good  wid  de  nex'  shot."  * 

"Now,  let  them  have  it  again,  boys,"  called 
Major  Storrs,  ''that  was  a  fine  beginning;  let  the 
good  work  go  on." 

"Hurrah  for  Joe  Johnston  and  the  Southern  Con- 
federacy!" shouted  the  gunners,  and,  some  three  or 
four  minutes  later,  from  Guibor's  and  Ward's  bat- 
teries three  thunderous  reports  in  quick  succession 
rang  out  from  Kennesaw's  crest,  and  a  few  seconds 
afterward  three  puffs  of  smoke  near  the  Federal 
battery  and  three  explosions,  "faint  from  farther 
distance  ^orne,"  told  that  payment  in  their  own 
coin  had  been  tendered  the  enemy. 

An  answer  came  back  within  a  couple  of  minutes 
in  a  shell  from  the  Federal  battery,  which  struck 
about  half  way  up  the  mountain  side  and  exploded. 

"Ah!  they're  demoralized  by  your  shot,  Captain 
Ward,"  said  General  Cockrell,  "that  was  rather 
wild." 

-  "Thousands  of  their  Parrott  shells  pass  high  over  the  moun- 
tain, and  exploding  at  a  great  elevation,  ihe  after  part  of  the  shell 
is  arrested  m  its  flight,  and  falling  perpendicularly,  comes  into 
camp,  and  they  have  injured  our  tents.  Last  night  I  heard  a 
peculiar  "thug"  on  my  tent,  and  a  rattle  of  tin  pans,  and  this 
morning  my  negro  boy  cook  put  his  head  into  my  tent  and  said: 
"See  here, "Master  Sam,  them,  'fernal  Yanks  done  shot  my  pans 
last  night.  What  am  I  going  to  do  'bout  it  ?  "  A  rifle  ball  corning 
over  the  mountain,  had  fallen  from  a  great  height,  and,  perfor- 
ating the  pars,  had  entered  the  ground.— From  Gen.  French's 
Diary  during  June,  1864. 


58        KENNESAW'S  BOMBARDMENT. 

A  rifle  shot  was  now  heard  from  Partridge's 
perch,  and  a  general  laugh  again  arose. 

"Hurrah  for  the  sharpshooters  I "  said  Colonel 
Samuels,  ''they're  entitled  to  a  part  in  this  fight." 

Just  at  that  moment  from  the  hill  behind  the 
Western  &  Atlantic  railroad,  on  the  other  side  of 
Noonday  Creek,  a  cloud  of  smoke  arose,  and  an 
angry  "boom!"  shook  the  air. 

"Another  Richmond  in  the  field!"  exclaimed 
Major  Storrs.  "They  are  not  waiting  to  finish  the 
casemating  of  that  battery  of  Parrotts  and  Rodmans 
before  trying  to  make  it  as  offensive  as  possible 
to  us." 

He  had  not  ceased  speaking  ere  the  scream  of  a 
shell  was  heard  above  their  heads,  and,  before  the 
two  darkey  cooks  had  finished  dodging  toward  the 
ground,  the  explosion  was  heard  behind  them,  and, 
on  looking  around,  the  curling  smoke  amid  the 
forest,  some  seven  hundred  yards  south  of  the 
mountain  top,  showed  how  far  the  deadly  missile 
had  sped. 

"That  was  a  bad  one,"  said  Colonel  Samuels. 

"Regular  pizen,"  exclaimed  a  soldier,  "if  that 
fellow  don't  cool  off,  we'll  have  to  rub  a  wet  sponge 
over  his  face." 

"Take  care.  Daily!"  shouted  a  private  who  had 
seen  the  two  darkeys  hugging  the  ground  with  a 
desperate  clutch,  "them  thar  things  with  shucks  to 
the'r  tails  are  after  you  and  Woodson.  Thar's  no 
mark  for  a  Yankee  shell  like  a  nigger." 

"God  almighty!  boss,  don't  make  fun  of  us  now," 


WAKING  UP  THE  BA^TTERIES.         59 

whispered  Woodson,   "I'd  give  a  thousand  dollars 
if  I  had  never  heard  tell  of  a  Yankee." 

A  roar  of  laughter  ensued  from  the  soldiers  who 
heard  this  last  remark,  and  Pat  Quin,  one  of  the 
crack  shots  of  Guibor's  battery,  exclaimed,  "Well 
now,  I  don't  know  how  much  that  offer  is  worth, 
begorra,  till  you  tell  me  whether  you  mean  Con- 
federate money,  Yankee  greenbacks  or  the  world's 
specie." 

"All  of  'em,  boss,  an'  copper  too,"  answered 
Woodson,  as  he  raised  his  head  with  a  grin  on  his 
face,  which  reminded  every  one  of  the  little  boy  in 
the  graveyard  who  began  whistling  to  keep  his 
courage  up. 

"Boom!  boom!"  again  went  Captain  Ward's 
guns,  and  another  shell  struck  near  the  first  Fed- 
eral battery.  Its  companion,  however,  exploded  in 
the  air  only  about  a  hundred  feet  from  the  muzzle, 
and  almost  over  the  infantry  line,  which  ran  just 
below  the  summit. 

"There  was  bad  powder  in  that  one,"  said  the 
captain,  "that's  one  of  our  difficulties." 

Another  cloud  of  smoke  and  another  report  arose 
from  the  battery  across  the  railroad,  and  a  Parrott 
shell  struck  the  side  of  the  mountain  about  a  hun 
dred  feet  below  the  crest. 

"That  means  that  we  are  considered  as  entitled 
to  respectful  attention,"  said  Major  Storrs;  "and 
that  we  reciprocate  all  courtesies  in  kind,"  he  added, 
as  another  of  Guibor's  guns,  aimed  by  Lieutenant 
Sam  Kennard,  went  ofi",  waking  all  the  echoes  of 


60        KENNESAW'S  BOMBARDMENT. 

the  mountain,  and  landing  a  shell  close  to  the  near- 
est Federal  battery. 

Hardly  a  minute  afterwards  a  sound,  now  some- 
what familiar,  was  heard  to  the  west,  and  the  inevi- 
table white  smoke  told  that  the  warlike  contagion 
was  spreading. 

The  next  instant  another  shell  flew,  hissing  like 
a  snake,  over  the  mountain,  and,  falling  to  the 
ground  a  half  mile  soutliward,  exploded. 

*'Aha!"  exclaimed  General  Cockrell,  "that  bat- 
tery of  twenty-pounder  Parrott  guns  over  behind 
the  Hardage  house  has  concluded  to  join  the  chorus. 
I'll  go  down  and  have  Captain  Hoskins  to  take  it 
under  his  special  charge." 

"Yes,  gentlemen,"  said  General  French,  "you 
had  better  prepare  for  a  lively  time.  Everybody 
to  his  post,  and  be  ready  to  open  all  the  batteries." 

"Hurrah!  hurrah!  hurrah!"  came  from  several  of 
the  oflicers,  and  then  a  wild  "rebel  yell"  ran  down 
the  whole  line,  as  the  men  left  their  exposed  posi- 
tion on  the  north  side  of  the  mountain  and  went  to 
their  places  behind  the  parapets, 

It  was  well  they  did,  for  the  last  man  had  just 
about  gotten  within  shelter  when  from  a  hill  east 
of  the  Lattimer  place  a  couple  of  guns  were  fired, 
and  a  shell  struck  the  cliff  above  Cockreli's  works 
and  exploded,  scattering  the  rocks  and  fragments 
in  fifty  directions.  The  other  buried  itself  in  the 
earth  just  a  few  feet  below  and  in  front  of  Captain 
Ward's  battery,  and  went  off,  enveloping  the  para- 


WAKING  UP  THE  BATTERIES.        61 

pet  in  smoke,  and  throwing  mud,   etc.,   on  every 
«ide. 

Almost  co-ordinately  the  battery  which  had 
begun  the  racket,  sent  another  shell  over  the  moun- 
tain, and  its  explosion  a  few  hundred  yards  beyond 
told  everybody  to  "lie  low." 

Ward's  and  Guibor's  batteries  now  opened  in  a 
grand  chorus,  and  Hoskins'  two  guns  on  the  right 
took  up  the  refrain,  amid  the  cheers  of  the  soldiery, 
till  the  mountain  was  crowned  with  uproar. 

This  found  its  echo  on  the  hills  on  either  side  ot 
the  railroad,  as  the  bursting  shells  whitened  the 
atmosphere  with  thick  smoke,  and  woke  the  forest 
around  the  Federal  guns  and  gunners  who  had 
brought  on  the  affray. 

But  then  almost  simultaneously  a  half  dozen  bat- 
teries on  the  north  and  northwest,  on  either  side  of 
Noonday  creek,  joined  their  thunders  with  those  of 
their  comrades  of  tumult,  and  a  shower  of  exploding 
shells  and  whirring  solid  shot  fell  below  or  flew 
screaming  over  the  parapets  on  the  mountain  top.  * 

"They  must  do  better  than  that,"  said  Major 
Storrs,  "or  it  will  be  a  pure  waste  of  the  raw  mate- 
rial by  the  Yankee  gunners.  Now,  gentlemen, 
show  them  how  to  fire.  Give  it  to  them  like 
we  did  last  Monday  !  Hurrah  for  the  batteries  on 
Kennesaw ! " 

*  June  23  — At  10  a.  m.,  when  all  was  quiet  on  the  mountain, 
the  enemy  commenced  a  rapid  artillery  fire  from  guns  put  in  posi- 
tion during  the  nieht,  and  concentrated  it  on  our  guns  on  the 
mountain.  Yesterday  we  had  it  all  our  own  way — to-day  they  are 
repaying  us  and  the  canno»ade  is  "fast  and  furious." — From  Gen. 
French's  Diary  during  June,  1864. 


62        KENNESAW'S  BOMBARDMENT. 

"AdcI  hurrah  for  the  sharpshooters  I"  yelled  Part- 
ridge from  the  crags  below. 


'    x v'-'-'  ^  ^)^^ ""      Jm/M 


7 


^f^--' 


SHARPSHOOTERS. 


"Yes,  hurrah  for  the  sharpshooters!"  said  Major 
Storrs  good-humoredly,  "even  if  they  do  get  us 
into  trouble  occasionally." 

"Hurrah  for  Guibor's  guns! "  exclaimed  Lieuten- 
ant Harris,  "beat  that  if  you  can." 

"They'll  have  to  try  a  good  many  times  before 
they  do  it,  lieutenant,"  said  Colonel  Young,   who 


WAKING  UP  THE  BATTERIES. 


63 


was  lookiug  through  his  field  glass  in  the  direction 
of  Harris'  shot,  "You  dropped  that  shell  right 
into  the  midst  of  a  column  of  Yankee  cavalry,  and 
I  think  you  must  have  killed  or  wounded  at  least 
a  dozen  or  so  of  them.  Lord!  how  the  rest  are 
scattering.  To  say  it's  a  stampede  hardly  describes 
it.  Every  fellow's  going  in  a  different  direction, 
and  every  fellow  seems  trying  to  outrun  a  shell 
which  he  thinks,  is  after  him  particularly.  Ha, 
ha,  ha!  I  think  at  least  twenty  have  been  thrown, 
and  are  sprawling  on  the  ground,  and  the  horses, — 
well,  nobody  can  catch  them  now.  Your  single 
shell  has  routed  them  as  badly  as  Wheeler  did 
Garrard^  and  his  cavalry  several  days  ago." 
"Ha,  ha,  ha,  ha,"  went  down  the  entire  line. 

*"0n  the  20th  the  most  considerable  cavalry  affair  of  the  cam- 
paign occurred  on  our  right.  The  Confederate  cavalry  on  that 
flank,  being  attacked  by  that  under  General  Garrard's  command, 
repulsed  the  assailants,  whom,  as  they  were  retiring,  Wheeler 
charged  with  about  a  thousand  men,  and  louted,  capturing  a  hun- 
dred men  and  horses,  and  two  standards.  Fifty  of  the  enemy's 
dead  were  counted  on  the  field.  The  Confederate  loss  was  fifte'eu 
killed  and  fi^ty  wounded."— Johnston's  Narrative,  page  339. 


64        KENNESAW'S  BOMBARDMENT. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

"Minon,"  said  Captain  Ward,  "you  had  better 
go  back  and  tell  Miss  Harper  and  her  little  brother 
to  stay  closely  behind  that  rock.  They  are  safer 
there  now  than  they  would  be  descending  the 
mountain ;  for  some  one  of  those  shells  which  are 
flying  over  the  crest  might  explode,  and  strike  them 
with  a  fragment.  Let  them  remain  sheltered  where 
they  are." 

The  young  sergeant  hurried  back,  and  found  her 
in  a  state  of  much  apprehension ;  but  she  took  in 
the  situation  and  readily  consented  to  comply  with 
Captain  Ward's  suggestion. 

''But,  oh!  I  do  wish  we  had  not  come!"  she  ex- 
claimed, "this  was  so  foolish  a  trip." 

"No,  I  am  glad  we  came,  Mr.  Minon;  ask  Cap- 
tain Ward  to  please  let  me  go  out  and  see  it,"  said 
Jack  in  a  tone  of  great  eagerness. 

**No,  Jack,  Captain  Ward  orders  you  to  stay 
here  and  protect  your  sister,"  answered  Minon, 
"and  now  I  must  hurry  back,"  he  added,  bowing 
to  Miss  Harper. 

"God  shield  you  from  all  harm!"  she  replied 
clasping  her  hands. 


WAKING  UP  THE  BATTERIES.         65 

*'MinoD,  where  are  Miss  Harper  and  her  little 
brother  who  were  with  you  about  a  half  hour  ago?" 
asked  General  French  who  saw  him  as  he  returned. 

"They  are  back  yonder  behind  the  large  rock, 
General,"  the  young  sergeant  replied. 

"The  mischief,  they  are!"  exclaimed  the  general, 
*'why  what  made  you  keep  them  here? — however, 
there's  no  need  to  discuss  that  now.  Do  you  go 
at  once  and  have  some  men  to  take  those  planks 
and  poles  which  are  around  that  ammunition  chest, 
and  lean  against  the  rock  behind  them,  so  as  to  pro- 
tect them  as  much  as  possible  from  the  explosion 
of  shells.  I  think  we  are  going  to  have  a  good 
many  of  them  screaming  around  here  within  a  few 
minutes,  and  it  won't  do  for  them  to  attempt  now 
to  go  back  to  Marietta  till  things  quiet  down  again." 

With  a  tip  of  his  hat  Minon  hurried  off  to  carry 
out  the  general's  orders. 

Miss  Harper  was  greatly  agitated  by  these  extra- 
ordinary preparations  for  her  safety,  and  again  ex- 
claimed, "What  a  foolish  trip  this  was!" 

Jack,  however,  as  usual,  was  equal  to  the  occa- 
sion, and  piped  out,  "Oh,  don't  be  afraid.  Sis; 
I'll  stay  here  with  you." 

Boom  !  boom !  boom !  went  the  batteries  on  Ken- 
nesaw,  and  now  the  patches  of  smoke  above  the 
plain  showed  that  the  Confederates  had  turned  their 
attention  to  several  of  the  Federal  challengers. 

"See,"  said  Major  Storrs,  who  had  raised  his  field 
glass  for  a  minute  to  watch  the  effect  of  the  fire 
from  his  guns,  "the  inhabitants  of  the  temporary 


66        KENNESAW'S  BOMBARDMENT. 

city  in  the  woods  below  us  will  find  this  rain  some, 
what  worse  for  them  than  that  other  kind  they  had 
last  night.  Their  sharpshooters  whom  I  see  at 
their  customary  devilment  down  yonder  will  proba- 
bly seek  shelter  within  a  few  minutes  and  some  of 
their  artillerymen  may  have  occasion  to  wish  that 
they  had  more  casemates."* 

But  over  hill  and  forest  from  beyond  the  slopes 
lining  N  onday  valley  east  of  the  railroad,  to  and 
beyond  the  Wallace  bouse  on  the  far  west,  thence 
along  the  line  running  southward,  a  chain  of  rising 
clouds  of  smoke,  and  angry  reports,  told  that  batr 
iery  after  battery  had  opened  upon  the  mountain. 
The  most  practical  evidecce  to  the  Confederates^ 
however,  of  this  fact,  was  the  tempest  of  Parrott 
shells,  solid  shot,  and  other  deadly  missiles  which 
came  crashing  against  the  crags  or  flew  hurtling 
through  the  air  above  them.*  The  shout  of  the 
war  god  had  been  heard ! 

"Withdraw  the  infantry  from  the  breastworks 
in  front.  Colonel  Barry,"  said  General  French; 
'•I  think  this  will  be  merely  a  bombardment  from 
the  batteries,  and  our  men  should  not  be  needlessly 
exposed." 

"Yes,  sir,"  answered  Colonel  Barry,  and  then 
sent  orders  for  Sears'  brigade  to  defile  behind  the 
breastworks  toward  the  ravine  on  the  east,  so  as 
to  be  sheltered  by  the  mountain  from  the  shells. 

-  Kennesaw  Mountain  is  no  longer  a  place  of  resort,  owing  to 
the  large  number  of  shells  hourly  sent  there  by  the  enemy. 

The  view  from  there  during  the  forenoou  was  obstructed  by  a 
heavy  fog,  hanging  like  a  pall  over  the  valley  beneath,  and  a  large 
glass  failed  to  pierce  it  and  locate  the  position  of  the  enemy. — 
Augusta  Constitutionalist,  June  23,  1864. 


WAKING  UP  THE  BATTERIES.         67 

The  command  was  obeyed  in  perfect  order,  and 
within  a  few  minutes  there  was  no  exposure  to  the 
Federal  fiie,  except  that  of  artillerymen  who  were 
handling  the  batteries. 

These  had  hurried  to  their  guns  from  one  end  of 
the  summit  to  the  other,  and  the  enthusiastic  energy 
with  which  they  went  at  their  work,  was  attested 
by  the  continuous  explosions  which  appeared  to 
almost  shake  the  mountain,  and  the  dense  volumes 
of  white  smoke  which,  like  a  storm  cloud,  enveloped 
its  towering  crest. 

This  was  plainly  visible  in  Atlanta,  twenty  miles 
distant,  to  hundreds  of  people  who  thronged  the  hill 
at  the  western  end  of  Alabama  street,  or  climbed 
to  the  tops  of  buildicgs,  or  swarmed  like  bees  on 
the  Broad  street  bridge,  and  gazed  with  breathless 
interest  at  the  smoking  n-ountain,  and  strained 
their  ears  to  catch  the  booming  sounds  which,  like 
distant  thunder,  kept  shaking  the  air;  while  from 
the  streets  and  windows  of  Marietta,  which  were 
filled  by  hundreds  of  citizens  and  soldiers,  it  is  said 
to  have  presented  a  scene  of  grandeur,  whose  only 
parallel  might  be  found  in  a  volcanic  eruption.* 
The  smoke  rising  in  tremendous  columns  high  above 
the  crest,  the  thunderous  reports  from  the  Confed- 
erate batteries,  and  the  explosions,  over  toward  the 

"••'■"From  this  time,  June  20,  until  the  evening  of  the  26th,  our 
posilion  was  not  materiallj^  ehan.ged.  Under  direct  fire  from  the 
rebel  skirmishers,  no  man  could  expose  himself  without  being 
a  mark  for  their  bullets.  They  kept  our  men  closely  confined  to 
their  trenches,  and  the  only  variety  they  had  was  the  constant 
succession  of  artillery  duels  between  our  batteries  and  those  on. 
the  mountain  top,  which  might  be  looked  for  at  any  time  of  the 
day  or  night;  at  times  these  assumed  a  degree  of  niagnifieence." 
— From  Report  of  Major  General  A.  Baird. 


68         KENNESAW'S  BOMBARDMENT. 

town,  of  the  Federal  shells,  which  had  darted 
through  the  war  clouds,  all  told  a  tale  of  awe  and 
magnificence. 

But  if  it  was  a  magnificent  spectacle  to  those 
who  beheld  it  from  their  homes  in  Marietta,  hardly 
two  miles  distant,  it  was  one  where  tumult  and 
danger  walked  hand  in  hand  with  grandeur,  in  the 
eyes  of  the  men  who  stood  behind  the  parapets  and 
amid  the  crags  on  the  crest  of  Kennesaw  Mountain. 

The  thick,  sulphurous  smoke  from  their  own 
pieces  enveloped  everything  around  them  in  obscu- 
rity. This  was  lit  up  in  quick  succession  by  the 
flash  of  fire  w^hich  burst  forth  with  every  dis- 
charge and,  like  lightning  among  the  clouds,  shot 
its  glare  for  the  instant  all  around. 

But  the  terrific  majesty  of  the  scene  was  exhibited 
in  the  explosion  of  the  Federal  shells,  and  the  crash- 
ing of  solid  shot,  above  and  amid  the  crags  and 
rocky  parapets  behind  which  the  Confederate  guns 
were  posted  on  the  crown  of  the  mountain. 

From  one  hundred  and  forty  guns  on  the  sur- 
rounding hills  and  forests  Sherman's  commanders 
had  concentrated  their  fire  upon  the  crest  of  Little 
Kennesaw.* 

=■=  "There  emphatically  was  such  a  bombardment  repeatedly. 
I  do  not  know  exactly  upon  how  many  days  they  opened  with  at 
least  140  guns,  with  their  aim  actually  directed  to  the  crests  of  Big 
and  Little  Kennesaw;  but  do  not  think  it  would  be  too  much  to 
say  that  this  occurred  on  at  least  t°n  separate  days,  and  some- 
times we  would  receive  two  or  three  bombardments  on  one  day. 

"Sometimes  when  I  would  fire  a  few  rounds  on  some  exposed 
body  of  the  enemy,  my  nine  guns  would  receive  the  concentrated 
fire 'of  shot  and  shell  from  140  guns  or  more,  until  a  thousand  or 
fifteen  hundred  projectiles  had  been  thrown  at  us.  The  fire  was 
abs'^lutely  terrific."— From  letter  written  by  Major  Geo.  S.  S'orrs 
to  the  author. 


WAKING  UP  THE  BATTERIES.         69 

For  scores  of  yards  downward  the  ground  was 
torn  up,  and  the  cliffs  were  scarred.  Hundreds  of 
the  messengers  of  wrath  flew  screaming  over  the 
heads  of  Major  Storrs'  cannoniers,  and  exploded  far 
above  or  in  the  forests  in  the  valley  behind  them. 
Others  darted  crashing  through  the  trees  on  the 
summit,  scattering  the  branches  on  every  side,  and 
bursting  into  myriad  pieces,  with  spiteful  flashes  of 
fire  and  clouds  of  stifling  smoke  which  hung  like  a 
pall  of  horror  above  the  mountain.  Yet  others 
dashed  against  the  tremendous  bowlders  on  the 
summit,  or  struck  the  huge  rocks  which  bad  been, 
with  patient  labor,  piled  before  the  guns  as  a  para- 
pet, and,  exploding,  spread  destruction  on  every 
side. 

Here  a  poor  fellow  in  Ward's  battery  had  his 
head  blown  off,  and  beside  him  were  two  others 
wounded  by  a  bursting  shell.  A  solid  shot  tore  off 
the  arm  of  a  man  in  Guibor's  battery,  while  Hos- 
kins'  battery  had  two  wounded  within  a  few  min- 
utes. 

Henry  O'Hara,  of  this  battery,  was  with  one  of 
the  two  guns  which  were  on  the  summit  of  the 
mountain.  He  had  gone  to  the  ammunition  chest, 
and  was  bringing-  forward  three  charges  of  fixed 
ammunition*  when  a  shell  burst  so  close  to  him  as 

*  The  Conff  derates,  while  on  the  summit  of  Kennesaw  Moun- 
tain, protected  their  artillery  ammunition  by  digging  holes  in  the 
ground  some  thirty  or  forty  feet  behind  the  guns,  and  burying  the 
chpsts  therein.  Covering  them  with  logs  cut  from  the  timber  on 
and  near  the  summit  of  the  mountain,  they  thus  secured  very  fair 
protection.  Only  one  chest  was  thus  provided  for  the  supply  of 
each  gun.  The  infantry  brought  the  current  supplj^  up  by  hand 
as  it  was  needed,  and  deposited  it  in  the  chests.    From  two  to  four 


70 


KENNESAW'S  BOMBARDMENT. 


to  explode  the  nine  pounds  of  powder  in  his  arms. 
A  terrific  sheet  of  fire  and  smoke  enveloped  him, 
and,  as  he  fell  backward,  some  one  exclaimed, 
"My  God!  it's  burnt  him  up!" 


ASSISTING    A    COMRADE. 

His  comrades  rushed  forward,  seized  him,   and 

men  were  specially  dt-tailed  from  the  infantry  to  bring  the  supply 
required  for  each  gun. 

On  the  hin  l^eyond  the  western  end  of  Little  Kennesaw,  which 
was  occupied  by  General  Oockrell's  brigade,  Captain  Jas.  A.  Hos- 
liins  was  in  charge  of  his  two  gurs,  which  were  posted  there,  and 
also  the  guns  of  Lunisden's  Alabama  battery.  One  day,  subse- 
quent to  that  whose  events  are  herein  chronicled,  thiee  of  Lunis- 
den's chests  were  blown  up  by  the  Federal  fire.  They  were  within 
thirty  feet  of  each  other,  and  the  re.«ult  of  the  explosion,  it.  is 
quite  needless  to  say,  was  disastrous  to  the  battery,  and  the  fact 
of  the  occurrenc»%  in  spite  of  all  the  precautions  to  prevent  it, 
furnishes  one  of  the  best  evidences  of  the  terrific  nature  of  the 
Federal  bombardment. 


WAKING  UP  THE  BA.TTERIES.         71 

-carried  him  to  the  rear..  His  clothes  were  badly 
burnt  and  his  body,  face  and  limbs  blackened  by 
the  powder;  but,  as  he  stoutly  asserted,  he  was 
^'not  done  for  yet,"  and  within  a  few  weeks  was  back 
on  duty. 

"He  was  Irish,"  as  some  of  the  boys  s  id,  "and 
you  couldn't  expect  such  a  small  matter  as  that 
to  knock  him  out." 

But  in  the  meanwhile  with  courage  which  might 
have  excited  the  envy  of  Titans,  the  Confederates 
stood  to  their  guns,  and  poured  back  a  shower  of 
shot  and  shell  among  the  Federals  on  the  hills 
below.  The  roar  of  their  batteries  from  amid  the 
clouds  of  smoke  which  enveloped  the  mountain  top 
found  its  counterpart  in  the  explosion  of  shells 
which  darted  like  thunderbolts  among  the  Federal 
camps  and  into  the  midst  of  the  batteries  which 
were  hurling  storms  of  destruction  against  them. 

Just  at  this  period,  General  French,  who  was 
talking  with  Major  Storrs  and  Col.  Barry,  noticed, 
coming  toward  them,  the  sergeant  who  had  been 
sent  down  to  General  Sears'  headquarters. 

"Well,  you've  got  back,  I  see,"  he  remarked. 

"Yes,  sir,  I  delivered  your  message  to  General 
Sears,"  answered  the  sergeant. 

"And  what  did  he  say?"  asked  the  general. 

With  a  smile,  after  a  slight  pause,  the  sergeant 
answered : 

"He  says  to  me,  'Go  back  and  tell  General 
French  I'm  not  a  mountain  billy-goat  to  be  jumping 
from  cliff  to  cliff.'" 


72        KENJSESAW'S  BOMBARDMENT. 

A  roar  of  laughter  followed  from  the  party,  after 
which  General  French  remarked  : 

"If  that  message  bad  have  come  from  a  lieuten- 
ant or  a  private,  it  would  have  been  called  insub- 
ordination; but  all  we'll  say  about  it  now  is  that 
Sears  is  sick,  and  consequently  irritable." 

Suddenly  a  wild,  thrilling  yell  arose  from  the 
infantry  in  the  ravine.  It  was  taken  up  by  those 
who  were  sheltered  on  the  southern  slope  behind 
the  batteries;  and  Lieutenant  Harris,  peering 
through  the  battle  smoke  in  that  direction,  swung 
his  hat  above  his  head  and  shouted:  "The  big  guns 
on  Big  Kennesaw  have  joined  us.  Now,  boys,  fire 
fast,  and  let  the  Yankees  have  a  regular  Confeder- 
ate concert." 

"Yes,"  added  Major  Storrs,  "don't  reduce  a  cart- 
ridge.    Give  them  all  the  guns  will  stand." 

Their  enthusiasm  was  \^ell  founded,  for,  like  suc- 
cessive claps  of  thunder,  the  big  siege  guns  on  the 
crest  of  Big  Kennesaw*  had  opened  upon  the  Fed- 
erals; and  already  dense  clouds  of  smoke  were  hang- 
ing around  it  on  every  side. 

Some  of  the  Confederates,  who  had  taken  position 
behind  the  crags  and  amid  the  thick  forest  and 
undergrowth  on  the  east  side  of  the  ravine  which 
separates  the  two  summits  of  Kennesaw,    said   that 

-"You  may  make  the  necessary  orders  and  be  prepared  for 
rapid  action  (o-inorrovv.  So  dispose  matters  fliat  (lie  >)ii.'  jrnns  of 
Kennesaw  will  do  you  as  little  mischief  as  possible." — Dispatch 
from  Gen.  Sherman  to  Gen.  McPherson,  June  2>,  18C4. 

We  have  some  very  heavy  ojnns  on  Kennesaw  Mountain 
which  annoy  the  enemy  very  much,  and  they  keep  out  of  our 
reach  as  much  as  possible.— Aueusta  Constitutionalist,  June  26, 
1864. 


WAKING  UP  THE  BATTERIES.         73 

tbe  scene  was  one   where   the   terrible  grandeur  of 
war  defied  all  powers  of  description. 

Beginning  east  of  Brush  Mountain,  and  extend- 
ing in  an  irregular  line  across  the  railroad  westward 
to  !he  neighborhood  of  the  Lattimer  house,  and 
thence  curving  southwestward  till  they  disappeared 
from  view  behind  Little  Kennesaw,  dense  clouds  of 
smoke  rose  in  quick  succession  from  scores  and 
scores  of  guns  in  the  Federal  batteries.  From  two 
or  three  casemated  batteries  toward  the  west  these 
sudden  puffs  reminded  one  of  the  fire  from  gun- 
boats. There  was  but  little  air  stirring,  conse- 
quently an  almost  continuous  chain  of  fog  seemed 
hovering  above  the  hills  and  valleys  north  an  1  west 
ot  the  mountain;  and  this  was  all  the  time  growing 
wider  and  thicker,  and  rising  higher,  as  the  thunder 
of  forty  or  fifty  discharges  per  minute  shook  the 
atmosphere  around  Kennesaw,  and  reverberated 
from  the  wild  Etowah  hills  to  the  crowded  streets 
of  busy,  bustling,  anxious  Atlanta,  to  whose  ears 
these  sullen  sounds  were  like  the  roll  of  the  drum 
of  fate. 

Above,  behind  and  in  front  of  this  roaring  battle 
cloud,  here  and  there  they  could  see  the  sudden 
puffs  of  smoke  which  showed  the  explosion  of  the 
Confederate  shells  from  the  batteries  on  the  crest ^ 
of  Kennesaw.  These,  however,  were  so  few,  com- 
paratively, that  they,  as  a  soldier  expressed  it, 
''reminded  one  of  a  school  boy  throwing  snowballs 
into  a  river  full  of  ice." 

But  around  the  summit  of  the  mountain  was  con- 


74        KENNESAW'S  BOMBARDMENT. 

centrated  all  the  majestic  terrors  of  the  war  storm.  ^ 
The  dense  white  smoke  from  the  cannon  enshrouded 
the  parapets,  the  forest  growth  and  the  highest 
cliflfs.  Against  the  steep  slopes,  above  the  rising 
clouds,  or  in  their  midst,  whirling  them  in  cyclone- 
like  circles  by  their  explosion,  the  Federal  shells — 
fuse  shells,  percussion  shells  and  combination  shellsf 
— were  darting  like  thunderbolts.  At  times  a  hun- 
dred  of  these  seemed  bursting  at  the  same  instant, 
and  the  rolling  balls  of  smoke  and  the  tumultuous 
roar  were  absolutely  terrific.  The  tempest  had 
crowned  Kennesaw. 

"Look! "  exclaimed  General  Cleburne  to  Captains 

■■■'-The  enemy  directs  most  of  his  pieces  against  Kennesaw. 

The  mountain  is  about  two  miles  from  Marietta,  and  can  be 
shelled  with  ease  The  sehrapnells  pass  over  it  and  far  into  the 
rear,  where  it  lias  become  very  dangerous.  Several  mules  and 
horses  have  been  killed  an  ong  the  commissaries.— Augusta  Con- 
stitutionalist, June  22, 1864. 

fA  distinguished  gentleman,— a  general  in  the  Confederate 
army,  whose  command  was  on  Kennesaw  Mountain  from  June 
20th  to  July  .'ird,  1864,  stated  to  the  author  that  the  Federal  artil- 
lerymen u'ed  some  shells,— "the  like  of  which,"  said  he,  "I  never 
heard  of  before,  and  have  n'-ver  .«een  since.  They  seemed  to  be 
what  we  n  ight  term  eombiration  shells;  that  is,'ihey  were  per- 
cussion in  front  f>nd  fuse  behind,  and  so  arranged  that  if  they 
hit  anything  on  the  mountain  the  cap  would  explode  the  shell ; 
whereas,  if  they  missed  it,  th«i  shell  would  go  flying  through  the 
air  over  towards  Mari-tta,  and  wou'd  explode  in  the  air  when  the 
fire  from  the  fuse  reached  the  powder  mside. 

"They  were  the  most  annoying  things  of  the  kind  that  I  ever 
saw,  and  created  not  only  more  comment,  but  more  damage 
than  any  other  missiles  the  Yankees  fired  at  us.  If  one  hit  against 
the  mountain  side,  we  who  were  up  there,  were  in  danger  of  their 
fly-ng  fragments,  whereas,  if  they  went  over  and  exploded  in  the 
air  the  pieces  would  fall  behnd  iThe  mountain  right  into  the  midst 
of  our  wagon  train  which  was  immediately  behind  it,  and  as 
we  thought  when  we  placed  it  there,  shelted  by  the  mountain. 

"These  pieces  falling  would  frequently  hit'a  man  or  a  mule,  or 
would,  anyhow,  frighten  the  mules,  and  the  con  equence  was  the 
wagon  train  was  in  an  uproar  all  the  time.  The  teamsters  found  it 
much  more  lively  than  had  been  their  expectation,  or  certainly 
their  desire. 

"All  in  all  they  were  villainous  missiles,  and  we  had  no  end  of 
annoya-^ee  from  them  as  long  as  we  held  position  on  the  moun- 
tain." 


WAKING  UP  THE  BATTERIES.         75 

L.  H.  Mangum  and  Irving  A.  Buck,  of  his  staff, 
who  were  intently  gazing  at  the  mountain  from  the 
centre  of  the  works  occupied  by  that  division  over 
a  mile  away;  "I  have  seen  many  a  thrilling  spec- 
tacle during  the  war;  but  never  one  more  sublime 
than  this.  Heaven's  most  appalling  thunderstorm 
hasn't  more  elements  of  grandeur  in  it  than  yonder 
war  cloud  which  has  burst  and  is  roaring  around 
Kennesaw." 

So  awful  was  this  rain  of  destruction  that  within 
a  few  minutes  the  Confederate  batteries  were  prac- 
tically silenced..  General  French  ordered  Major 
Storrs  to  have  the  guns  which  were  not  fully  pro- 
tected by  parapets  pulled  back  to  the  top  of  the 
southern  slope,  where  the  backbone  of  the  mountain 
shielded  them  from  the  direct  fire  of  the  Federal 
artillery,  and  commanded  the  men  to  take  shelter 
below  them. 

They  were  safe  here  from  a  cross-fire,  since 
Walker's  line  which  ran  southward  from  the  western 
end  of  Little  Keunesaw  was  so  far  advanced  that 
the  Federal  works  in  front  of  it  were  too  distant  for 
the  shells  from  their  batteries  to  reach  the  summit 
of  the  mountain.  Walker's  men,  on  the  contrary, 
were  annoyed  to  some  extent  by  the  shells  from  the 
Federal  batteries  on  the  north,  which  passed  over 
the  mountain  and,  exploding  a  thousand  feet  in  the 
air,  dropped  their  fragments  in  some  instances  into 
the  very  trenches. 

For  fully  ten  minutes  after  the  last  Confederate 
gun  had  fired  the  bombardment  from  the  enemy's 


76        KENNESAW'S  BOMBARDMENT. 

batteries  continued  with  unabated  fury.  Trees 
were  torn  to  pieces,  and  the  falling  boughs  hurled 
clear  over  the  mountain  side;  large  stones  were 
knocked  from  the  tops  of  the  parapets;  and  against 
monstrous  crags  which  jutted  from  the  summit, 
sometimes  nearly  a  dozen  feet  high,  the  deadly 
missiles  flew, — the  shells  exploding  with  sounds  like 
thunder,  and  scattering  fragments  on  every  side, 
the  solid  shot  chipping  out  huge  flakes  by  the  con- 
cussion, and  then,  with  a  ring  like  the  curse  of  dis- 
appointed spite,  falling  impotent  to  the  ground,  or 
bouncing  hundreds  of  feet  down  the  slopes  on  the 
south.* 

One  poor  fellow,  a  corporal  in  Ector's  brigade, 
was  killed  by  a  cannon  ball  which  struck  a  rock, 
glanced  off  over  the  southern  side  half-way  down 
the  mountain,  broke  off  a  large  limb  of  a  tree  and 
fell  upon  him,  mashing  his  skull. 

*It  was  the  second  or  third  day  before  we  began  to  realize  that 
a  Yankee  could  shoot  to  the  top  of  Little  Kennesaw:  then  we 
changed  our  opinions  and  wondered  if  they  really  meant  to  shoot 
anywhere  else.— Letter  from  a  member  of  Hoskics'  battery  to  the 
author. 


WAKING  UP  THE  BATTERIES.         77 


CHAPTEK  V. 

But  from  the  towering  crest  of  Great  Kennesaw 
the  Confederate  batteries  continued  belching  forth 
defiance  and  destruction  upon  the  Federals  far 
below.  Their  fire  was  not  so  rapid  as  had  been  that 
from  Little  Kennesaw ;  on  the  contrary,  was  very- 
deliberate,  and  their  aim  unusually  precise.  These 
bad  turned  their  attention  more  directly  to  the 
Federal  batteries  upon  the  two  hills  on  opposite 
sides  of  Noonday  creek,  between  which  the  West- 
ern &  Atlantic  Railroad  runs,  crossing  the  valley 
on  a  high,  red  embankment  which  was  plainly  seen 
from  the  top  of  the  mountain. 

The  Federals  manning  the  farthest  of  the  two 
turned  their  Parrott  guns  against  Great  Kennesaw  ; 
but  were  fairly  out-shot,  and  within  less  than  twenty 
minutes  their  fire  sensibly  slackened,  and  soon 
theirs  and  the  neighboring  battery  across  the  valley 
were  silenced, — ''completely  knocked  out,"  as  the 
soldiers  said. 

By  two  or  three  Confederate  officers  who  watched 
the  scene  from  the  summit  with  field-glasses  the 
Federal  gunners  could  be  plainly  observed  as  they 
pluckily  worked    their   pieces,    sending  up  to  the 


78       KENNESAW'S  BOMBARDMENT. 

mountain-top  well-aimed  missiles  against  those 
whose  shells  were  exploding  so  accurately  among 
and  around  them  ;  but  finally  forsaking  their  death- 
scourged  batteries  and  fleeing  for  safety  into  the 
forest  behind  them. 

A  whirlwind  of  enthusiastic  cheers  now  arose 
from  the  thousands  of  Confederates  who  were  sur- 
veying the  scene  from  Great  Kennesaw,  and  from 
the  ravine  on  the  west.  This  was  renewed  as  their 
gunners  next  turned  their  attention  to  the  Federal 
batteries  on  the  hills  to  the  east  of  and  behind  that 
where  Tom  McLellan's  house  now  stands,  less  than 
half  a  mile  directly  in  front  of  the  eastern  end  of 
Little  Kennesaw. 

But  as  if  to  meet  the  challenge  Sherman's  artil- 
lerymen all  along  the  line  slackened  their  fire  upon 
Little  Kennesaw,  and  began  gradually  opening 
upon  the  great  peak. 

They  first  had  to  experiment  for  the  range;  and, 
their  guns  being  elevated  for  the  height  of  Little 
Kennesaw,  the  missiles  struck  the  sides  of  its  taller 
mate  below  the  Confederate  position. 

There  was  soon  an  improvement,  however,  in 
this,  and  now  from  one  battery  and  then  from 
another,  first  a  single  shell  then  two  or  three  at  a 
time,  began  exploding  near  the  crest. 

Then  from  the  Parrott  battery  near  the  Hardage 
house  a  shell,  following  a  burst  of  smoke,  flew, 
screaming  like  a  hawk,  over  the  very  summit, 
and,  curving  downward,  struck  and  sank  into  the 
ground  in  the  valley  on  the  east,  and  exploded  just 


WAKING  UP  THE  BATTERIES.         79 

in  front  of  a  train  of  cars  on  the  Western  &  Atlan- 
tic Railroad,  throwing  mud  and  fragments  all  over 
the  engine,  and  stampeding  the  fireman,  who  was 
"oiling  up"  on  that  side. 

This  engine,  the  "General,"  was  the  same  which 
had  been  stolen  at  Big  Shanty,  April  12,  1862,  by 
a  party  of  twenty-two  Federal  soldiers  in  disguise, 
and  with  which  they  attempted  the  daring  feat  of 
hastening  up  the  Western  &  Atlantic  Railroad  for 
the  purpose  of  burning  the  bridges  at  its  upper  end. 

The  chase  and  overhauling  near  Ringgold,  Ga., 
of  the  "General"^  and  her  captors  have  become  a 
part  of  the  nation's  history. 

On  the  morning  of  this  day  of  stirring  events  the 
"General"  had  taken  a  train  load  of  supplies  up  to 
the  Confederate  lines  near  the  foot  of  the  mountain, 
and  was  now  standing  near  there  ready  to  return. 

The  engineer  seeing  the  fireman  "taking  to  the 
woods,"  sprang  upon  the  platform,  and,  grasping 
the  throttle  with  one  hand  pulled  the  whistle  with 
the  other,  and  gave  a  shrill  blast  to,  as  he  after- 
ward said,  attract  the  conductor's  attention. 

But  there  was  no  necessity  for  blowing  the  whistle 
to  accomplish  that  purpose, — the  conductor  already 
knew  all  about  the  case. 

"Here,  Bill,"  he  yelled,  "we'll  take  the  fever 
and  ague  among  the  highlands  if  we  stay  here  any 
longer;  let's  slack  back  to  Marietta." 

"Yes,  I  don't  want  my  engine  busted  to  pieces 
by  Yankee  bombshells,"  answered  the  engineer. 

-The  "General"  is  still  on  the  Western  &  Atlantic  Railroad, 
and  is  used  for  extra  service. 


80        KENNESAW'S  BOMBARDMENT. 

"No,"  put  in  a  countryman  who  was  standing 
near,  "nor  I  don't  want  my  skin  busted  to  pieces 
neither." 

"Hold  on,  gentlemen,"  exclaimed  a^captain,  who 
was  having  several  wounded  soldiers  put  aboard 
the  train,  "you  can't  go  till  these  men  are  in  the 
cars.  They  have  got  to  be  taken  down  to  the 
hospital  at  Atlanta.'' 

"Well,  hurry  up.  Cap,"  said  the  engineer,  "I'll 
stay  here  as  long  as  you  say ;  but  I  don't  want  to 
stretch  it  any." 

"Oh,  don't  be  afraid  of  a  stray  shell,''  answered 
the  captain,  "there  may  not  be  another  one  here  in 
two  hours." 

"No,  and  when  they  do  come,"  exclaimed  one  o^ 
the  wounded  men,  "they  ain't  half  so  dangerous  as 
a  minie  ball."* 

Just  then  another  shell  came  darting  over  the 
mountain,  and  exploded  in  the  air  about  three  hun- 
dred yards  from  the  train. 

"Make  haste.  Cap,"  yelled  the  engineer,  "them 
Yankees  is  searching  for  us,  and  I  want  to  find 
another  hiding  place." 

-I  will  deserilie  to  you  a  new  minie  ball  which  the  Yankees 
are  using  against  us,  and  which  I  had  exhibited  to  me  on  yester- 
day evening.  It  is  made  ot  two  separate  bores,  one  of  which  is  a 
hollow  shell,  and  the  other  a  kind  of  cap  from  which  issues  a 
short  leaden  screw.  On  tliis  screw  is  placed  a  loose  fitting  piece 
of  tm  wider  than  the  ball  itself,  and  very  sharp.  This  is  then 
fitted  in  the  hollow  shell.  The  object  of  this  appears  to  be,  that 
where  an  artery  may  yield  to  a  ball  it  will  almost  to  a  cprtainty  be 
cut  by  this  niece  of  t'in.  But  if  the  ball  should  enter  a  man  without 
taking  off  the  cap,  the  chances  are  that  when  it  is  being  extracted, 
the  tin  will  remain  in  tlie  wound,  and  by  constantly  irritating  the 
wound,  eventually  poison  the  flesh,  and  render  the  sufl'erer  incura- 
ble. Such  is  the  last  devilish  invention  of  the  Yankees.— Corres- 
pondence of  the  Atlanta  Daily  Intelligencer,  June  15,  1864. 


WAKING  UP  THE  BATTERIES.         81 

*'0h,  never  mind,  Bill,"  laughed  the  conductor, 
*'they  have  turned  in  the  wrong  direction;  let  us 
get  these  poor  fellows  aboard,  and  there'll  be  time 
enough  to  get  away." 

This  task  was  soon  accomplished,  however,  and 
then  at  a  signal  from  the  conductor  the  engineer 
blew  his  whistle,  and  the  "General"  backed  slowly 
southward  toward  Marietta,  and  in  a  few  minutes 
was  out  of  danger. 

Just  before  she  started,  however,  an  answering 
whistle,  as  of  defiance,  was  heard  from  a  Federal 
locomotive  on  the  same  railroad,  north  of  Kenne- 
saw  Mountain.* 

General  Reynolds  who  was  near  the  summit  of 
Great  Kennesaw,  now  directed  the  Confederate 
cannoniers  to  turn  their  attention  especially  to  the 
battery  west  of  the  first  one  which  had  opened,  and 
also  to  see  if  they  could  not  get  the  range  of  the 
Parrott  battery  near  the  Hardage  house,  which  was 
doing  the  most  damage  of  all. 

Major  W.  C.  Preston,  Chief  of  Artillery  for 
Walthall's  division,  was  requested  by  him,  during 
the  temporary  absence  of  the  division  commander 
from  that  portion  of  the  line,  to  disregard  the  fire 
of  the  other  batteries,  and  silence  those  two  if  possi- 
ble. 

Now,  again  the  tempest  of  war  began  "blowing 

*"The  Yankees  are  strongly  entrenched  in  our  front,  while 
their  trains  on  the  Western  &  Atlantic  railroad  run  as  near  to  us 
as  two  miles.  During  the  day  the  shrill  whistle  of  the  engines  is 
plainly  heard  over  the  lines,  and  generally  elicits  a  hearty  yell 
from  our  boys.  I  must  confess  that  Sherman  is  a  good  railroad 
superintendent,  for  the  prompt  manner  in  which  he  has  repaired 
the  bridges  over  the  Oostanaula  and  Etowah  rivers  prove  him  so." 
— Correspondence  of  the  Atlanta  Daily  Intelligencer,  June  15,  1864. 


82        KENNESAW'S  BOMBARDMENT. 

great  guns,"  and  against  Great  Kennesaw  the  fiery 
messengers  commenced  flying  from  a  dozen  bat- 
teries. 

The  Confederate  works,  however,  being  slightly 
east  of  and  below  the  immediate  summit,  were  in  a 
measure  sheltered  from  the  enfilading  fire  which 
the  Federals  attempted  to  bring  from  the  guns  on 
the  extreme  west  of  their  line.  Those  shells  either 
struck  the  western  side  of  the  crest  and  did  no 
damage,  or  passed  above  the  knob  and  flew  over 
the  heads  of  the  Confederate  gunners,  and,  darting 
into  the  valley,  exploded,  waking  the  echoes,  but 
ending  in  noise. 

It  was  a  magnificent  spectacle,  however,  as  the 
shells  from  the  mountain  top,  and  those  toward  it^ 
flew  in  rainbow  arches,  their  course  being  frequently 
followed  through  the  thick  atmosphere  by  the  smoke 
from  their  fuses,  and  ending  in  stunning  explosions 
which  filled  the  air  with  smoke  and  scattered  the 
boughs  from  the  trees,  or  hurled  the  earth  and  rocks 
in  showers  on  every  side. 

With  the  diversion  of  the  Federal  fire  from  Little 
Kennesaw  came  the  resolution  of  General  French's 
artillerymen  to  reciprocate  the  assistance  from  their 
brothers  on  the  other  summit,  and  which  had  now 
brought  upon  Walthall's  heroes  the  concentrated 
wrath  of  the  entire  Federal  artillery  array. 

Captain  Ward  and  Sergeant  Henry  Hoskins, 
therefore,  under  Major  Storrs'  immediate  direction, 
had  four  guns  run  forward,  and,  at  a  given  signal, 
fired  a  volley  of  shells  at  the  mischievous  battery 


84        KENNESAW'S  BOMBARDMENT. 

behind  the  Hardage  house.  The  puffs  of  smoke 
above  the  field  below  showed  that  they  had  practi- 
cally gotten  the  range  of  it. 

^'Now,  gentlemen,"  said  General  French,  who 
had  noticed  that  the  Federal  batteries  were  all 
turned  against  Great  Kennesaw,  "hurry  up,  and 
pour  in  a  few  dozen  shells  before  they  can  face  our 
way  again." 

The  men  uttering  a  thrilling  yell,  pushed  all  the 
guns  forward,  tramping  through  the  beds  of  prickly 
pear  with  their  almost  bare  feet,  regardless  of  the 
cruel  thorns,  and  with  wonderful  alacrity  opened 
upon  the  Federal  position  below. 

For  three  or  four  minutes  not  a  missile  came  in 
response;  but  then  the  hissing  scream  of  a  shell 
was  heard  above  them,  and  the  next  instant  the 
deafening  explosion  followed,  and  one  of  the  soldiers 
on  the  farther  slope  of  the  ridge  fell,  with  his  leg 
badly  bruised. 

"Keep  it  up,  boys,"  shouted  Major  Storrs,  "draw 
some  of  that  fire  which  they've  got  against  Great 
Kennesaw.  The  boys  helped  us,  so  we  must  help 
them  out!" 

"Yes,  we'll  do  it,"  yelled  the  men,  "they've  got 
to  divide  with  us.  Clear  out  of  the  way  of  the 
Yallerhammers,  Yanks." 

"Yallerhammers"  was  the  nickname  given  Cap- 
tain Ward's  brass  Napoleon  guns  by  the  soldiers  in 
this  division. 

And  now  again  the  uproar  from  the  guns  on  the 
crest  of  Little  Kennesaw   was  renewed,   and   with 


WAKING  UP  THE  BATTERIES.         85 

marked  effect,  for  within  a  few  minutes   one  of  the 
Federal  batteries  was  silenced  by  their  fire. 

Captain  Hoskins'  gunners  on  the  right  of  the  line 
turned  their  attention  to  a  column  of  Federal  in- 
fantry and  a  wagon  train  with  a  large  drove  of 
cattle  Avhich  was  passing  down  the  road  behind 
their  batteries.  Sergeant  George  Duk  e,  with  Pres 
toa  Keys,  Ben  King,  Zach  Hoskins,  J.  F.  Smith, 
and  Wess  Graham  in  charge  of  *'Gun  No.  1,"  and 
Sergeant  Henry  Hoskins,  with  Gus  Furr,  Has 
Furr,  Bob  Cornega and  the  ''three  Jims"  (Rutland, 
Allen  and  Smith),  with  "Gun  No.  2,"  under  Major 
Storrs'  personal  supervision,  did  themselves  proud. 

Elevating  the  guns  to  an  angle  of  forty-five  de- 
grees, they  sent  their  shells  beyond  the  position 
occupied  by  the  artillery,  and  began  dropping  them 
into  the  midst  of  the  moving  column. 

Great  excitement  was  instantly  apparent  among 
the  cattle  and  in  the  wagon  train;  and  one  or  two 
officers,  with  field-glasses,  saw  the  teams  going  at 
nearly  every  angle  across  the  open  field  by  the  road. 

The  infantry  also  began  double-quicking,  and 
breaking  up  into  detachments  which  got  out  of 
range  as  rapidly  as  possible,  while  the  cattle,  left 
to  themselves,  were  stampeded  by  the  bursting  bombs, 
and  scattered  in  a  hundred  directions. 

While  this  was  going  on  Guibor's  battery  was 
being  worked  as  usual  for  all  it  was  worth.  Several 
notably  fine  shots  were  made  by  Sergeants  Law- 
rence, Murphy  and  Robinson  and  by  Pat  Quinn. 
One  of  the  shells  sent  by  Pat  exploded  right  under 


86        KENNESAW'S  BOMBARDMENT. 

one  of  the  enemy's  guns,  and  when  the  smoke 
cleared  away,  the  gun  was  seen  lying  on  its  side  out 
of  its  previous  location. 

But  the  triumph  of  the  Confederates  was  only 
temporary,  for  the  explosion  of  shells  and  the  crash- 
ing of  solid  shot  among  the  crags  about  their  ears, 
soon  told  them  that  the  boys  on  Great  Kennesaw 
had  been  forced  "to  divide  with  them."  In  fact, 
the  Federals  leaving  only  about  three  batteries 
to  play  upon  (^rreat  Kennesaw,  had  turned  again 
almost  their  entire  fury  against  the  western  summit. 

So  terrific  did  this  become  that  a  second  time  the 
Confederates  withdrew  their  guns  to  the  south  side 
of  the  crest. 

"It's  hard  for  nine  guns  to  whip  a  hundred  and 
twenty-five  or  fifty!"  exclaimed  Major  Storrs,  as 
the  men  once  more  retired  for  shelter  behind  the 
jutting  crags.  It  was  well  that  they  "lay  low"  and 
hugged  the  southern  cliffs,  for  the  bombardment 
had  become  absolutely  fearful.  The  mountain  was 
crowned  with  the  fiery  tempest,  'and  tumult  and 
destruction  reigned  supreme. 

In  the  midst  of  this  scene  of  terror  occurred  an 
incident  so  startling,  so  thrilling,  that  it  almost 
curdled  the  blood  of  every  one  who  beheld  it. 

Little  Jack  Harper,  the  eight-year-old  "pet  of 
the  camp,"  who  had  been  sheltered  with  his  sister 
behind  a  crag,  through  a  crevice  in  the  rock  saw 
the  flagstaff  on  the  parapet  struck  by  a  shell  and 
shattered  to  splinters.  The  starry  cross  of  silk, 
with  the  upper  fragment  of  the  staff,   was  whirled 


WAKING  UP  THE  BATTERIES.         87 

nearly  twenty  feet  backward,  and  fell  to  the 
ground. 

Like  a  flash  Jack  darted  from  his  cover,  and, 
grasping  the  banner,  exclaimed,  as  indignant  tears 
burst  from  his  eyes,  "Oh,  you  bad  old  Yankees, 
you've  knocked  down  our  flag;  but  I'll  put  it  back 
again ! " 

With  this  childish  shout  he  rushed  forward  amid 
the  thunder  and  smoke  of  the  explosion  of  a  score 
of  shells,  and,  climbing  up  the  rocky  sides  of  the 
parapet,  stood  upon  its  very  top,  and  then,  facing 
the  "bad  old  Yankees''  on  the  north,  with  both 
hands  waved  the  banner  of  Dixie  back  and  forward 
in  delirious  triumph. 

A  freezing  shriek  of  horror  rang  out  amid  the 
tumult;  and  the  score  of  soldiers  and  officers  who 
had  just  sprung  forward  to  jerk  the  child  from  his 
perch,  stood  transfixed  with  dismay,  as  Jack's 
sister.  Miss  Mary  Harper,  who  had  also  been  shel- 
tered behind  the  same  crag  with  the  boy,  rushed 
forward  into  the  midst  of  the  smoke  and  danger 
toward  him. 

At  that  instant,  however,  a  shell  from  a  Federal 
battery  exploded  in  the  midst  of  the  boughs  of  a 
tree  in  front  of  her,  with  a  terrific  report,  amid  a 
cloud  of  smoke  which  completely  hid  Jack,  and 
scattered  the  debris  in  every  direction.  A  whole 
section  of  the  tree  was  hurled  to  the  ground,  falling 
against  the  parapet  behind  the  boy,  and  between 
him  and  his  now  half-crazed  sister,  and  obstructing 
her  course  toward  him. 


88       KENNESAW'S  BOxMBARDiMENT. 

With  her  hands  clasped  convulsively  above  her 
head,  she  screamed,  ''Merciful  God,  protect  my 
darling  baby  brother!" 

But  now  like  a  whirlwind  there  was  a  general 
rush  toward  the  two.  John  Minon  seized  the 
frantic  girl  in  his  arms,  and  bore  her,  fainting,  back 
behind  the  bowlders.  Captain  Ward  leaned  upon 
the  parapet  and  caught  Jack,  who  was  jumping 
around,  and  yelling  in  boyish  glee,  as  he  swung  the 
colors  backward  and  forward:  "Oh,  yes,  you  bad 
old  Yankees,  you  thought  our  flag  was  down ;  but 
HERE  IT  IS,  waving  right  before  you.  Yes,  here 
IT  is;  don't  you  see  it? '' 

As  he  was  dragged  backward,  he  "struggled  like 
a  young  wild  cat,"  as  one  of  the  soldiers  expressed 
it,  and  cried  in  thrilling  tones  of  grief,  "Oh  I  don'i, 
oh!  let  me  alone;  they'll  think  we've  surrendered, 
and  we  haven't!  don't  you  see  our  flag's  down  on 
the  ground  now?  Let  me  'loose,  so  I  can  put  it  up 
again  I " 

"Never  mind,  Jack,"  shouted  Captain  Ward, 
"I'll  put  the  flag  up.     We  haven't  surrendered." 

"And  we  don't  intend  to,  do  we.  Captain?"  ex- 
claimed Jack,  with  his  eyes  flashing  like  diamonds, 
as  he  threw  his  arms  around  the  neck  of  the  brave 
commander,  on  discovering  who  he  was ;  '  'but  where 
are  you  going  to  put  the  flag?" 

"I'll  put  it  just  where  you  had  it.  Jack,"  answered 
Captain  Ward,  as  he  set  the  boy  in  his  former 
retreat.  "Now  do  you  stay  here,  and  the  flag  will 
soon  be  waving  all  right." 


WAKING  UP  THE  BA.TTERIES.         89 

"Hurrah  for  the  South  and  our  flag!"  shouted 
Jack,  as  the  captain  with  the  colors  now  hastily 
left  him. 

"Yes,  hurrah  for  the  South  and  for  our  flag, 
Jack  !"  exclaimed  Captain  Ward,  "and.  Jack,  stay- 
just  where  you  are.     Those  are  my  orders." 

"All  right,  I'll  obey,"  answered  the  boy,  "I'll 
obey." 

"My  God!  Minon,"  exclaimed  Captain  Ward,  as 
he  turned  and  saw  the  latter  with  one  hand,  bearing 
Miss  Mary  Harper's  unconscious  form  toward  shel- 
ter, "what  is  this?  is  she  hurt?" 

"No,  sir,  I  think  she's  only  fainted;  but  a  piece 
of  shell  has  just  broken  my  right  arm,"  said  the 
young  soldier,  glancing  at  that  member  which  was 
hanging  Joosely  by  his  side. 

"God  grant  she  be  not  hurt!  but  let  me  help 
you,"  answered  the  captain,  as  he  clasped  the 
young  lady  tenderly  in  his  arms,  and  hurried  back 
with  her,  "come  on,  Minon." 

They  darted  behind  the  huge  rock,  just  as  a  solid 
shot  went  crashing  through  a  tree,  hurling  a  large 
branch  forward,  whose  foliage  knocked  the  captain's 
hat  off,  and  scratched  his  neck  as  it  passed. 

Paying  no  attention  to  this,  however,  he  laid  the 
young  lady  upon  a  blanket  before  Jack,  who  burst 
into  a  flood  of  tears,  and  screamed,  "Oh,  have 
those  bad  old  Yankees  killed  my  sister?  oh,  Cap- 
tain, have  they  killed  her?" 

"No,  Jack,"  answered  the  captain,  "I  hope  she 
is  not  hurt.     I  think  she  has  only  fainted.     Minon, 


90        KENNESAW'S  BOMBARDMENT. 

please  hand  me  your  canteen,  if  you  have  any 
water  in  it." 

"I  haven't  any,  Captain,  but  I  will  run  and  get 
some,"  said  the  latter. 

"No,  let  me  go,"  shouted  Jack,  "I'll  bring  some 
from  the  bucket  near  the  cannon.'" 

"Hold!"  exclaimed  Captain  Ward,  grasping  the 
boy  by  the  shoulder,  "I  ordered  you  to  stay  behind 
here;  and  you  promised  to  obey, — I  don't  allow 
any  of  my  soldiers  to  disobey  my  orders." 

"All  right,  Captain,  I  beg  your  pardon,  and  will 
obey,"  answered  Jack,  "but  I  wanted  so  much  to 
help  sister." 

"That  wish  does  you  honor,  my  dear  boy,"  said 
the  commander,  patting  him  on  the  head;  "but 
here  we  have  the  water  now,  Mr.  Minon  has 
brought  it.  Now  bring  her  once  more  to  con- 
sciousness while  I  redeem  my  promise,  and  put  back 
the  flag  where  you  had  it.  Matthews  is  down  to 
the  left  helping  to  work  gun  number  four,"  he 
added,  speaking  to  himself. 

"I'm  ahead  of  ye,  Captain,  this  time!"  shouted 
Partridge,  who  had  seized  the  colors  while  the  gal- 
lant artillery  leader  was  doing  the  doubly  gallant 
act  toward  Miss  Harper,  "I  helped  to  fetch  on  this 
row,  and  now  I'm  going  to  help  see  it  through 
creditably." 

With  this  remark  he  plunged  forward  through 
the  smoke,  and,  waved  the  banner  to  and  fro,  and 
then,  leaning  forward,  placed  it  against  the  stump 
of  a  sapling,  and,   leisurely  pulling  a  strong  cord 


WAKING  UP  THE  BATTERIES. 


91 


from  his  pocket,  tied  the  remDant  of  the  staff  to 
the  top.     Then  swiDging  his  hat  aloft,   he  looked 
toward  the  enemy's  batteries,  and  yelled  defiantly, 
"Thar,  dern  ye,  knock  it  down  ag'in  if  ye  can!" 
This  done,  he  leaped  to  the  ground,  behind  the 


^^ 


PARTRIDGE. 


works,  and  exclaiming,  "It  tires  me  down  to  play 
the  hero  long  at  a  time !  "  darted  like  a  stag  to  the 
shelter  of  the  rocks  on  the  south. 

"Now  let  everybody  keep  behind  shelter  and 
behave  himself,"  exclaimed  Major  Storrs,  who  had 
beheld  the  latter  part  of  this  episode,  "Let  there 
be  no  more  exposure  to  danger  till  I  give  the 
order." 

He  had  scarcely  made  this  remark  before  he 
turned  around  and  noticed,  coming  up  the  southern 


92        KENNESAW'S  BOMBARDMENT. 

slope,  General  Loring  and  one  of  his  orderlies. 
The  major  at  once  stepped  downward  and  met  him 
with  the  remark: 

**If  you  have  been  getting  cold  come  up  here 
and  we  will  let  you  see  what  it  is  to  have  a  warm 
time." 

"Thank  you,  Major,"  said  General  Loring, 
"I  think  this  is  hot  enough  for  all  the  requirements 
of  a  reasonable  man.  But  what  seems  to  be  the 
idea  of  the  Yankees  in  this  tremendous  uproar  from 
their  batteries  ?  " 

"Oh,  well,"  said  the  major,  "you  can't  always 
judge  what  a  lot  of  fellows  are  intending  when  they 
are  kicking  up  a  fuss  nearly  a  mile  away  from  you." 

"But  how  many  guns  have  they  playing  upon 
you  to-day  ?  "  asked  General  Loring. 

"Oh,  I  think  they  have  the  full  quota  of  one 
hundred  and  twenty-five  or  fifty,"  answered  the 
major.  "But  if  you  would  like  to  see  for  yourself 
how  it  looks  in  the  forests  and  on  the  hill-tops 
below  us,  I  will  walk  down  with  you  to  our  big 
rock,  and  we  will  mount  that  and  see  with  our  own 
eyes." 

"All  right,"  said  the  general,  "let  us  venture 
over  there  for  a  few  minutes." 

So  saying  the  two  officers  and  the  orderly 
walked  westward  to  Observation  Rock.  Major 
Storrs  climbed  upon  it,  and  then  reached  his  hand 
down  and  said,   "General,  let  me  give  you  a  lift." 

"Thank  you,"  said  General  Loring,  "I  can't 
climb  so  well  with  one  arm  as  you  can  with  two. 


WAKING  UP  THE  BATTERIES.        93 

Ah!  by  the  way,  isn't  this  the  very  rock  upon 
which  you  stood  and  counted  the  Yankee  guns  two 
or  three  days  ago?"^ 

''Yes,  sir,"  answered  the  major,  "that  was  the 
time  when  poor  McBride  was  killed." 

The  three  stood  upon  the  rock,  and  Mag  or  Storrs 
first  took  his  field-glass  and  gave  it  a  sweep  around 
the  smoke-obscured  country  down  in  front.  Hand- 
ing it  then  to  the  general,  he  remarked : 

''You  needn't  take  the  trouble  to  count  them,  for 
I  am  sure  all  the  dogs  of  war  are  barking  at  us. 
But  look  yonder  to  the  north,  General.  See  that 
train  on  the  railroad,  which  has  just  come  down 
from  Big  Shanty.  I  can  plainly  see  it  with  the 
naked  eye,  and  can  hear  its  rumbling  between  can- 
non shots.  See  that  little  jet  of  smoke,  and  hear 
that  whistle  blowing  'down  brakes.'  They  had 
better  put  on  the  brakes  before  they  get  under  fire 
from  our  batteries.  The  train  is  scarcely  two  miles 
from  us,  and  some  of  the  big  guns  on  the  other 
peak  might  possibly  reach  it." 

"Yes,"  replied  General  Loring,  "it  has  come  to 
a  dead  stop ;  and,  see  the  soldiers  pouring  out  of  it ! 
A  sort  of  blue  fringe  is  all  around  it.  Now  they 
are  forming  into  line.     I  suppose  they  are  going 

-"After  we  had  been  on  the  mountain  several  days,  and  the 
enemy  continuing  to  accumulate  artillery  in  our  front,  Gen.  Johns- 
ton directed  Gen.  French  to  have  their  guns  counted. 

"Gen.  Fr3nch  directeime  to  go  upon  the  mountain,  open  fire 
so  as  to  develop  the  enemy's  full  force  of  artillery,  and  count  his 
guns.  This  I  aid,  taking  position  on  an  elevated  point,  a  large 
ro?k,  I  believe,  to  the  left  of  my  batteries,  so  as  to  be  out  of  the 
smoke  of  my  guns,  and  with  a  pair  of  field-glasses,  I  counted  the 
enemy's  pieces  over  several  times  until  1  was  perfectly  satisfied 
that  one  hundred  and  forty  were  playing  upon  us  at  that  time." — 
Major  Geo.  S.  Storrs  in  letter  to  the  author. 


94        KENNESAW'S  BOMBARDMENT. 

down  to  take  position  in  front  of  Featherston. 
Well,  let  them  come,  we  are  ready  for  them." 

*'Yes,"  answered  Major  Storrs,  "let  them  come 
along  as  soon  as  they  will." 

The  general  silently  scanned  the  scene  below 
with  the  glass  for  about  five  or  six  minutes. 
During  this  time  the  shells  were  screaming  and 
bursting  over  and  on  all  sides  of  them.  Some  of 
the  soldiers  had  raised  their  heads  above  the  rocks, 
and  looked  with  considerable  interest  at  the  daring 
of  the  three,  and  Lieutenant  Billy  Richardson  of 
Ward's  battery,  remarked  to  those  beside  him: 

"Whenever  you're  hunting  for  brave  men  and 
come  to  Major  Storrs  and  General  Loring,  you  can 
stop,  for  there's  no  need  of  going  any  further." 

After  standing  upon  the  rock  some  three  or  tour 
minutes,  General  Loring  laughed,  and  said  to 
Major  Storrs : 

"Well,  I  expect,  for  a  corps  commander,  1  have 
stood  up  here  as  a  mark  for  their  shells  long 
enough,  and  that  there  is  no  strict  necessity  for 
General  Polk's  successor  to  court  his  fate." 

"Yes,"  said  Major  Storrs,  "and  I  don't  see  any 
real  necessity  for  a  division  chief  of  artillery  to 
remain  here,  just  at  this  particular  juncture,  any 
longer  than  is  proper  to  demonstrate  to  his  higher 
officer  that  his  batteries  are  under  a  pretty  heavy 
fire  from  guns  superior  in  number  and  calibre." 

"Oh!  1  always  know  where  this  chief  of  artillery 
is  to  be  found  whenever  there  is  any  tough  fighting 
going  on;   but  I  don't  think  a  man  is  always  safe. 


WAKING  UP  THE  BATTERIES. 


95 


who  stays  by  his  side  too  long  after  he  has  found 
him,"  answered  the  General. 

With  a  mutual  smile  the  three  then  climbed  down 
to  the  ground,  and  hastily  made  their  way  over  to 
the  southern  side  of  the  mountain. 


96        KENNESAW'S  BOMBARDMENT. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Major  Storrs,  Generals  Loring  and  French  then 
walked  behind  the  crest  of  the  ridge  to  the  slope 
leading  into  the  ravine  on  the  southeast.  They 
here  met  General  Ector,  who,  with  a  couple  of 
members  of  his  staff,  was  coming  to  consult  General 
French ;  and  all  six  now,  going  forward  amid  the 
forest  growth,  could  observe  the  general  direction 
of  the  Federal  fire. 

This  was  once  more  seeking  the  crest  of  Great 
Kennesaw,  and  battery  after  battery  was  turning  a 
portion  of  its  guns  from  the  lower  summit  toward  it. 

Major  Preston's  object,  however,  had  already 
been,  in  a  measure  accomplished,  as  the  steady  and 
deliberate  fire  which  he  had  directed  against  the 
battery  of  Parrott  guns  near  the  Hardage  house, 
had  proven  so  disastrous  that  it  had  apparently 
driven  the  men  trom  the  guns,  except  one  piece  to 
the  left,  which  still  at  intervals,  replied,  and  with 
some  effect. 

But  as  the  four  officers,  and  a  few  others  who 
accompanied  them,  surveyed  the  great  crest,  the 
dense  white  clouds  which  were  rising  from  it  for 
hundreds  of  yards  into  the  air,  and  the  sudden 


WAKING  UP  THE  BATTERIES.        97 

puffs  of  smoke  from  shells  which  flew  screaming 
over  their  heads  and  burst  thick  and  fast  amid  the 
forest  on  its  slope,  accompanied  by  the  sharp  report 
of  the  explosion,  and  the  ringing,  crashing  sound 
of  the  scattering  fragments  against  the  rocks  or 
through  the  trees,  told  them  •  that  the  war-tempest 
was  once  more  drifting  against  the  great  mountain. 

The  fury  of  this  storm  suddenly  rose  in  its  inten- 
sity to  ihe  raging  and  appalling  roar  of  the  whirl- 
wind, as  the  hitherto  silent  casemated  battery  on 
the  east  side  of  the  railroad  and  another,  not  pre- 
viously known  to  have  been  built,  became  envel- 
oped in  white  smoke  from  the  simultaneous  dis- 
charge of  all  of  their  pieces,  and  their  deadly  shells, 
aimed  with  remarkable  precision,  exploded  almost 
in  the  very  midst  of  the  upper  tier  of  Preston's 
guns.  Again  and  yet  again  those  fiery  monsters, 
securely  sheltered  under  the  ground,  belched  forth 
death  and  ruin  around  the  mountain  top.  Hidden 
themselves  and  safe  from  harm,  they  seemed  to  find 
every  weak  point  in  the  Confederate  works,  and 
the  very  lightning  appeared  as  flashing  forth  from 
the  rocks  on  the  parapets  as  their  terrific  shells 
came  dashing  against  them  and  shattering  them  to 
atoms. 

It  was  certainly  a  grand  scene,  and  from  their 
shelter  above  the  ravine  the  oflicers  could  without 
danger  to  themselves  take  in  all  its  terrific  majesty. 

They  remained  for  some  ten  minutes  beholding 
the  rapid  increase  of  the  shower  of  shelLs  and  other 
missiles,  which  now  fringed  the  entire  peak  with 


98        KENNESAW'S  BOMBARDMENT. 

patches  of  cloud  and  flying  boughs  which  were 
torn  frona  the  trees,  when  suddenly  from  near  the 
summit  a  dense  column  of  smoke  and  fire  shot  up 
hundreds  of  feet  above  it,  and  then  ensued  a  stun- 
ning report  which  nearly  deafened  every  one  who 
heard. 

The  fire  of  the  Confederate  batteries  almost 
instantly  ceased,  and  with  the  naked  eye  they 
could  observe  great  commotion  among  the  men  on 
the  side  of  the  mountain;  as  a  whole  brigade, 
apparently,  rushed  forward  to  the  scene  of  disaster 
and  ruin,  while  the  shouts  from  their  midst  told 
that  the  event  was  one  of  unusual  moment. 

"Hurry  over  at  once,  and  see  what  has  hap- 
pened," said  General  French  to  an  orderly, 
"I  think  a  shell  has  dropped  into  Major  Preston's 
ammunition  and  exploded  it.  Go. down  behind  the 
ridge  to  your  right,  so  as  to  be  sheltered  from  the 
Yankee  fire;  and  return  as  soon  as  possible." 

Tipping  his  hat,  the  young  subaltern  hurried 
away,  and  was  soon  lost  to  view  amid  the  under- 
growth. They  saw  him  again  in  a  few  minutes, 
climbing  the  heights  on  the  southern  side  of  the 
great  peak,  and  shortly  thereafter  he  disappeared 
behind  the  knob. 

About  this  time  General  Loring  remarked  to 
General  French,  "I  don't  think  I'll  wait  for  a 
report  to  be  sent  here  as  to  the  occurrence  over 
yonder,  but  will  go  myself  I  presume  that  it  is 
only  an  ammunition  chest  or  something  of  that 
kind  which  has  been  exploded  by  a  Yankee  shell. '^ 


WAKING  UP  THE  BATTERIES.        99 

*'I  have  no  doubt,"  said  General  French,  ''that 
you  are  correct." 

"Yes,  beyond  all  question,"  said  Major  Storrs, 
*'and  I  can  hardly  believe  that  anything  serious  is 
the  matter  on  the  other  peak." 

"Well,  it  will  take  but  a  few  minutes  to  find 
out,"  said  General  Loring,  "so,  good  morning, 
gentlemen,  I  will  see  you  at  a  later  time." 

So  saying,  he  walked  down  the  southern  side  of 
the  ridge  at  a  rapid  pace. 

Just  at  this  period,  however,  occurred  an  incident 
which  was  so  thoroughly  ludicrous  in  some  of  its 
features  that  the  three  officers  in  the  midst  of  their 
anxiety,  because  of  the  catastrophe  on  the  other 
peak,  could  not  restrain  their  risibilities.  Two  sol- 
diers, who  had  been  sent  into  the  valley  on  the 
south  for  water  for  their  comrades,  had  just  reached 
the  top  of  the  slope  on  ^heir  way  back.  About  a 
hundred  canteens  were  swung  to  a  pole  which  they 
were  carrying  on  their  shoulders.  A  shell  passed 
between  the  two,  struck  the  pole  and  whirled  it 
from  them  back  down  toward  Marietta,  and,  ex- 
ploding, scattered  the  canteens,  as  one  of  them  said, 
"all  over  north  Georgia."  The  clatter  of  the  tin, 
the  swish  of  the  spilling  water,  as  they  were  blown 
to  pieces,  and  the  crash  of  the  bursting  shell  were 
remembered  for  many  a  day.  Strange  to  say 
neither  of  the  water  carriers  was  hurt. 

In  the  meantime,  after  only  four  or  five  minutes' 
cessation,  the  batteries  on  Great  Kennesaw  opened 
again,  first  with  one  gun,  then  with  four  others. 


100        KENNESAW'S  BOMBARDMENT. 

The  Federal  bombardment,  however,  had  known 
no  rest;  on  the  contrary,  during  the  silent  interval 
among  the  Confederates,  the  enemy's  shells  had 
poured  with  unceasing  fury  around  them. 

But  the  knob  of  the  peak,  as  before  shown,  had 
prevented  this  from  proving  as  dreadful  a  scourge 
as  had  been  the  case  on  Little  Kennesaw,  inasmuch 
as  the  Federal  batteries  in  general  were  located 
more  to  the  west  of  it,  and  their  shells,  therefore, 
either  struck  that  face  of  the  peak,  doing  no  damage, 
or  generally  passed  far  beyond  it  before  exploding. 

Major  Preston,  taking  advantage  of  the  location, 
had  brought  forward  two  guns,  and,  placing  them 
on  the  gradual  incline  below  the  crest,  to  the  left 
of  where  the  casemated  battery's  shells  were  con- 
stantly exploding,  had,  by  elevating  them,  opened 
fire  over  the  summit  upon  the  Federal  position 
westward. 

They  discharged  several  shells,  while  a  couple  of 
the  men  with  field-glasses  on  the  northern  side  of 
the  mountain  watched  and  reported  where  they  fell. 
At  length  they  secured  the  range  of  a  battery  which 
faced  Little  Kennesaw,  and  Major  Preston  then 
ordered  these  two  pieces  to  keep  up  their  play  upon 
that  location. 

Thus  the  tumultuous  combat  was  continuing 
when  the  orderly  returned,  and  reported  that 
Major  Preston  had  stated  to  him  that  the  cause  of 
the  catastrophe,  about  which  General  French  had 
made  inquiry,  was  the  falling  of  a  Federal  shell 
into  the  midst  of  an  ammunition  chest  which  was 


WAKING  UP  THE  BATTERIES.         101 

behind  the  guns  on  the  crest  of  the  mountain. 
This  and  another  were  side  by  side,  each  having 
thirty-two  rounds  of  ammunition.  They  had  both 
exploded  with  a  terrific  concussion,-^  blowing  trees 
to  pieces,  hurling  huge  bowlders  like  pebbks  over 
the  cliflfs,  knocking  men  flat  to  the  ground  for 
fifty  yards  around,  and,  like  a  volcano,  shooting  a 
column  of  fire,  smoke  and  debris  hundreds  of  feet 
into  the  air. 

By  one  of  those  strange  mercies  of  Providence, 
however,  but  few  men  were  in  the  immediate  vici- 
nity of  the  chests;  consequently  only  two  were 
known  to  be  killed  and  lour  wounded.  One  of  the 
former  was  blown  over  the  southern  side  of  the 
mountain  and  his  body,  with  head  and  one  arm  oif, 
was  found  lodged  amid  the 'branches  of  a  tree 
nearly  a  hundred  yards  below. 

Just  after  this  report  was  received.  General 
French  observed  an  officer  coming  up  the  ravine 
from  the  south,  whom  he  recognized  as  Colonel 
R.  J.  Manning,  a  member  of  General  Johnston's 
staff. 

"Good  morning,  Colonel,"  he  exclaimed,  saluting 
him  at  the  same  time,  "come  this  way,  please. 
Are  you  from  headquarters?" 

*'Yes,  General,"  answered  Colonel  Manning, 
* 'General  Johnston  has  sent  me  to  ascertain  the 
cause  of  this  extraordinary  bombardment,  and  to 

-This  explosion,  a  Confederate  officer,  who  was  present  and 
an  eye-witness,  states  to  the  author  to  have  been  one  of  the  graiid- 
est  and  most  fearful  sights  of  its  kind  which  he  beheld  during  lour 
years  of  war. 


102        KENNESAW'S  BOMBARDMENT. 

know  if  you  need  any^assistance  from  other  parts 
of  the  line.  Are  the  Yankees  covering  any  move- 
ment of  infantry  by  this  artillery  fire?" 

"No,  sir,"  replied  General  French,  **I  think  they 
are  merely  in  for  an  artillery  duel  to-day,  and  are 
attempting  to  silence  our  batteries  on  the  mountain 
top.  You  can  say  to  General  Johnston  that  we 
have  infantry  force  strong  enough  to  more  than 
check  any  assault  which  they  might  dare:  but 
there  is,  I  think,  no  danger  of  an  assault." 

"Well,  at  any  rate,"  observed  Colonel  Manning, 
"they  are  playing  their  guns  for  all  they  are  worth. 
I  have  had  a  very  dangerous  journey  coming  from 
headquarters  up  here.  The  shells  are  flying  over 
the  mountain,  explo^ling  sometimes  a  thousand  feet 
in  the  air  and  scattering  their  fragments  all  around, 
or  are  lighting  in  the  forest  below  and  tearing 
whole  trees  to  pieces.  It  is  more  dangerous  down 
yonder  for  half  a  mile  than  it  is  on  the  slope  near 
the  summit.  I'll  go  Avith  you  awhile  and  see  how 
it  looks  up  here,  so  that  I  can  report  to  General 
Johnston  as  an  eye-witness  as  well  as  the  bearer  of 
your  message.  This  is  a  spectacle  worth  climbing 
a  mountain  to  behold." 

"Yes,"  said  Major  Storrs,  "the  bombardment  of 
a  mountain  top  is  a  rare  scene  in  military  affairs." 

"But  what  is  the  status  of  affairs  at  other  parts 
of  the  line.  Colonel?"  asked  General  French. 

"Nothing  serious,"  answered  the  latter.  "The 
Yankees  are  throwing  a  good  many  shells  over  our 


WAKING  UP  THE  BATTERIES.         103 

line  from  their  position  east  of  the  railroad,*  and 
they  have  just  tried  our  position  on  Hardee's  front 
without  success."' 

*'Yes,"  said  General  French,  "I  saw  that  attack 
from  up  here." 

General  French  and  his  party  now  walked  back 
to  their  post  on  Little  Kennesaw,  and  Major  Storrs 
was  directed  to  run  one  or  two  guns  forward  at  a 
time  at  different  places  on  the  ridge,  and  open 
upon  the  Federals,  the  object  being  to  prevent  the 
concentration  of  their  fire  upon  the  Confederate 
position  on  Great  Kennesaw. 

They  soo  <  met  Captain  Ward  and  Lieutenant 
Harris,  and  Major  Storrs  gave  them  the  programme, 
and  sent  similar  orders  to  Hoskins'  section  of  two 
guns  on  the  mountain  top  and  to  uis  and  Bellamy's 
batteries,  on  the  hill  west  of  Little  Kennesaw,  com- 
manding the  Burnt  Hickory  road. 

As  they  separated,  the  major  noticed  Captain 
Ward  shake  his  head  in  a  jocular  manner,  and  say 
to  the  sharpshooter,  Partridge,  who  was  standing 
by  his  side,  ''You  had  better  get  down  in  front  of 
the  mountain;  we  are  going  to  'wake  up  the  bat- 
teries,* and  those  Yankees  want  to  shoot  especially 

='=The  Yankees,  by  marching  and  counter-marcliing,  have  suc- 
ceeded in  maneuvering  into  possession  of  a  portion  of  the  ridge 
which  stretches  off  to  the  right  from  the  railroad,  and  overlooking 
Marietta.  By  these  open  movements  by  day  and  counter  moves 
by  night  they  have  advanced  their  lines  considerably,  though  not, 
perhaps,  very  advantageously,  on  our  wings;  but  on  our  centre 
they  have  gained  only  a  few  Hundred  yards  of  advance.  Whether 
it  will  be  an  advantage  time  will  develop.  The  enemv  has  learned 
to  his  great  cost  that  our  retention  of  the  mountain  is  most 
destructive  and  formidable  to  him.  He  is  charv  of  attack  on  the 
centre.  Our  terrible  batteries  and  formidable  engines  of  destruc- 
tion are  against  their  advance,  and  hitherto  the  impregnable  point 
has  only  been  bombarded.— Atlanta  Intelligencer,  June  22,  1864. 


104        KENNESAW'S  BOMBARDMENT. 

at  you.  They'd  rather  hit  you  than  to  dismount 
all  the  cannon  on  Kennesaw." 

'*Yes,  Gosh  dern  'em!"  was  the  response,  "you 
make  out  like  you're  a  jokin';  but  onbeknownst 
you're  tellin'  the  solid  est  kind  of  facts  and  truth. 
I  tell  ye  what,  when  they  first  begun  drappin'  the'r 
shells  around,  amongst  the  rocks,  I  laughed;  yes, 
I  fairly  haw-hawed.  But  after  'while  I  jest  sorter 
smiled,  and  then,  when  they  commenced  a  rainin' 
down  bustin'  bombshells,  like  fire  and  brimstone  on 
Sodom  and  Goraorry;  and  when  the  very  rocks 
seemed  to  be  spittin'  out  flames,  and  when  the 
smoke  from  the  whole  mountain  and  the  surround- 
in'  kentry  went  up  like  the  smoke  of  a  furnace, 
I  knowed  the  best  place  for  me  was  on  this  side  of 
Kennesaw.  I  don't  know  how  I  got  through  the 
gap,  but  I'm  here  to  show  I  did." 

*'Yes,  but  you  are  not  as  badly  frightened  as 
you  pretend,"  laughed  the  captain;  and  added, 
"true  merit  is  always  modest." 

"Oh,  I  ain't  skeered  now;  but  I  acknowledge 
the  corn  I  was  then,"  replied  Partridge,  with  a 
grin.  "But,  hello,  boys,  what  the  mischief's  the 
matter?"  he  exclaimed,  running  forward  amid  a 
group  of  soldiers  who  had  jumped  up  in  a  confused 
manner  from  behind  a  huge  rock,  one  of  them 
pointing  his  musket  toward  the  ground  and  firing  it. 

"Rattlesnake!"  answered  several  in  a  bieath. 

"But  I  done  for  him,  consarn  his  rusty  side,'' 
said  the  one  who  had  fired,  pointing  at  the  writh- 


WAKING  UP  THE  BATTEKIES.         105 

ing  reptile  whose  head  was  nearly  cut  ofi'  by  the 
well-directed  bullet. 

*'He  came  from  under  the  rock  right  among  us," 
said  a  lieutenant  to  Major  Storrs,  who  had  stepped 
forward  to  see  what  was  the  cause  of  the  excitement. 
"We're  in  a  nice  trap,"  interjected  a  soldier, 
* 'Yankees  shooting  at  us  in  front,  rattlesnakes 
biting  at  us  from  behind,  and  cactus  sticking  our 
feet  from  underneath." 

"Yes,  and  the  devil  playing  his  pranks  on  every 
side,"  said  the  lieutenant. 

"And  still  we'll  whip  the  fight,"  exclaimed  Major 
Storrs  in  a  cheery  tone. 

"  "Yes,  that  is,  we'll  undertake  to  whip  the 
rattlesnakes  and  the  Yankees,  and  mash  down  the 
cactus,  if  the  Lord  will  manage  the  devil,"  added 
Captain  Ward,  with  a  laugh. 

The  party  then  dispersed  and  went  to  their 
several  posts. 

Within  a  few  minutes  one  of  Captain  Hoskins' 
pieces  was  discharged,  and  a  shell  was  landed  near 
the  Federal  works  below. 

One  of  Ward's  guns,  aimed  by  Lieutenant  Wil- 
liam ("Billy")  Richardson,  who  was  one  of  the 
crack  marksmen  of  the  artillery  battalion,  was  next 
fired,  and  its  shell  was  seen,  through  the  glasses,  to 
knock  a  small  log  cabin,  just  behind  one  of  the 
batteries,  to  pieces,  causing  a  stampede  by  several 
men  who  were  in  it. 

Guibor's   battery  followed  suit,  and  the  enemy 


106        KENNESAW'S  BOMBARDMENT. 

was  put  on  notice  that  the  mountain  was  still  held 
by  "the  unterrified." 

An  irregular  fire  was  now  kept  up  from  I^ittle 
Kenuesaw  by  the  Confederates,  * 'stealing  a  shot 
now  and  then,"  as  Major  Storrs  termed  it,  which 
drew  away  the  attention  of  the  Federal  batteries 
to  some  extent  from  Great  Kennesaw,  and  thus 
accomplished  the  result  sought  by  General  French. 
Cue  of  Hoskins'  guns,  aimed  by  Major  Storrs  him- 
self, blew  up  a  caisson  right  in  the  very  midst  of 
the  battery  east  of  Tom  McLellan's  house. 

But,  after  another  furious  bombardment  of  the 
western  crest  from  nearly  all  their  guns,  which  was 
comparatively  barren  of  results,  except  in  making 
a  magnificent  display,  the  Federal  fire  gradually 
slackened  until  at  about  sunset  it  ceased  entirely. 

The  Confederates  had  drawn  back  their  guns  and 
did  not  fire  a  single  round  from  Little  Kennesaw 
during  the  last  half  hour,  and  from  the  higher  peak 
only  an  occasional  shell  was  thrown  in  return. 
They  had  too  scant  a  supply  of  ammunition  to  use 
it  in  mere  artillery  duels. 

Both  officers  and  men  watched  the  gradual  cessa- 
tion of  the  fiery  tempest,  and  noticed  how  battery 
after  battery  became  silent;  on  the  hills  below ;  and 
then,  with  the  danger  over,  crowded  on  top  of  the 
ridge  again,  standing  in  the  open  spaces,  or  mount- 
ing the  huge  bowlders,  to  survey  the  inspiring 
scenes  around  and  beneath  them. 

The  sun  was  just  disappearing  beneath  the  hori- 
zon.    Yet  not  in  the  quiet  majesty  of  a  clear  day 


WAKING  UP  THE  BATTERIES.         107 

was  his  golden  disc  kissiDg  the  hill-tope,  but,  as 
typical  of  the  tumultuous  events  of  the  hours  he 
had  illumined,  the  dazzling  orb  was  sinking  into 
the  embrace  of  a  stormy  sea  of  clouds  whose  con- 
quering waves,  dashed  high  into  the  air,  his  glitter- 
ing rays  were  gilding  with  roses  and  fire. 

From  Lost  Mountain  on  the  right  a  column  of 
fleecy  mists  seemed  towering  far,  far  upward 
toward  the  zenith ;  and  from  out  its  ruddy  sides  a 
thousand  silvery  banners  hung' their  wavy  pennons 
of  light  which  radiated  from  pearls,  opals,  dia- 
monds, rubies  and  topazes  garnishing  their  borders. 
Circling  in  a  majestic  arch  from  north  to  south  fold 
after  fold  of  golden  fleece  bounded  the  cerulean 
expanse;  while  scattered  in  indescribable  disarray 
appeared  castles,  mountains,  placid  lakes,  rain- 
bows and  surging  billows  of  roseate  hue.  A  myriad 
clusters  of  light  were  playing  around  their  sides 
and  crowning  their  crests. 

Back  of  all  these,  in  the  sky  above,  thick  inky- 
hued  masses  of  clouds  were  drifting  together,  as  if 
threatening  another  storm  such  as  had  pelted  the 
mountain  and  its  occupants  so  dismally  the  night 
before. 

But  no  rain  was  destined  to  come  "between  suns* 
now,  although  obscurity  was  drawing  his  misty 
robes  around  Kennesaw  and  its  rival  armies,  and 
the  clammy  kiss  of  sable  night  was  almost  imprinted 
upon  the  eastern  forests  below  them. 


108        KENNESAW'S  BOMBARDMENT. 


CHAPTER  VIT. 

Aad  now  while,  so  far  as  regarded  the  tremen- 
dous engines  of  war: 

"Silence  settled  deep  and  still 

O'er  the  lone  wood  and  mighty  hill," 

the  tender  emotions  of  chivalrous  manhood  found 
their  homes  in  the  hearts  of  Captain  Ward  and 
those  immediately  around  him. 

Leaving  his  guns,  he  had  gone  behind  the  shel- 
tering bowlder,  where  Miss  Mary  Harper  had  been 
left  with  little  Jack  and  John  Minon  to  restore  her 
to  consciousness  from  the  fainting  fit  into  which 
she  had  gone  in  the  midst  of  the  terrifically  thrill- 
ing episode,  in  which  Jack  had  figured  as  the  hero. 

The  sun  had  scarcely  disapj^eared  when  he  step- 
ped quietly  around  with  the  question,  ''Well,  how 
are  the  queen  of  Kennesaw  and  the  champion  of 
the  flag  of  Dixie?" 

"Oh!  Captain  Ward,"  shouted  Jack  jumping 
up,  and  running  to  his  side,  "we've  whipped  the 
Yankees,  haven't  we?  We've  still  got  the  moun- 
tain and  our  cannon ;  and  our  flag  is  still  waving, 
isn't  it?     Haven't  we  whipped  'em.  Captain?" 

"Yes,  Jack,"  laughed  the  captain,   taking  the 


WAKING  UP  THE  BATTERIES.         109 

enthusiastic  youngster  up  into  his  arms,  *' we've 
kept  off  the  Yankees,  and  we've  got  all  of  our  can- 
non and  the  mountain;  and  our  flag  is  still  waving 
just  where  you  had  it.  Ah  I  Miss  Harper,"  he 
added,  turning  to  her  and  watching  her  as  she  was 
wrapping  a  new  bandage  around  the  arm  of  Minon, 
''was  the  poet  referring  to  you  when  he  wrote: 

'A.  ministering  angel  thou!'  " 

''No,  indeed!  Captain,"  she  quickly  replied  with 
a  merry  laugh;  "that  was  written  some  fifty  or 
s'xty  years  ago;  and  surely  you  don't  mean  to 
insinuate  that  you  think  I  look  that  old." 

"Perish  the  thought!  never,  never,  no,  never 
would  I  be  guilty  of  an  insinuation  so  utterly 
devoid  of  foundation  as  that"  he  exclaimed,  and 
then  added : 

"But  you  know  the  language  of  prophecy  some- 
times reads  like  it  refers  to  the  day  in  which  it  is 
given  forth;  and  thus  Sir  Walter  builded  wiser 
than  he  knew  when  he  wrote  the  words  which  fit 
her  to  whom  I  now  speak.  Minon,  you  are  a 
lucky  chap.  But  for  the  anxiety  it  would  give  my 
dear  wife  and  little  ones  at  home,  I  almost  wish 
I  had  been  wounded,  so  that  I  too  could  have  had 
the  attention  of  so  fair  a  nurse, — one  who  seems  to 
have  been  wafted  from  the  clouds  into  our  midst  to 
cheer  and  to  save." 

"You  say  you  almost  wish;  now,  Captain,  I  go 
farther  than  that,  and  say  that  I  am  not  sorry 
I  was  wounded;   because  the  privilege  of  having 


no        KENNESAW'S  BOxMBARDMENT. 

such     a    mir^e    counterbalances   the    pain    of   the 
wound." 

"But,  itr  does  not  counterbalance  to  our  country 
the  loss  of  the  power  of  your  arm  in  this  day  of  her 
trial  and  need,"  said  Miss  Harper  in  a  tone  almost 
of  reproach,  "therefore  you  should  be  very  sorry 
that  you  are  disabled,  while  your  brothers  around 
you  are  still  strong  and  ready  to  battle  for  her 
cause." 

"Nobly  spoken,  Miss  Harper!"  exclaimed  Cap- 
tain Ward,  clapping  his  hands,  "I  am  glad  to  see 
somebody  besides  myself  turned  down  in  your  neat 
manner;  and  then  that  is  the  correct  doctrine  for 
this  time  and  occasion." 

.  "I  surrender !  "  ejaculated  Minon,  "I  am  not  only 
defeated,    but   discomfited.     There's  no  answer  to 
that  except  one." 
•  "And,"  said  Miss  Harper,  "that  is"— 

"T©  get  well  at  the  very  earliest  possible  minute, 
and  scamper  back  to  my  place  at  the  front." 

"Well,  no  one  will  be  more  delighted  to  see  you 
get  well  than  I,"  was  the  gentle  answer;  "and  I  am 
willing  to  depend  upon  you  to  carry  out  the  latter 
part  of  your  promise,  when  your  strength  and 
health  are  restored." 

"Te-ump,  te-ump,  te-ump,  te-tumpi"  hummed 
Captain  Ward,  in  a  tone  of  assumed  indifference, 
and  with  a  comical  twinkle  in  his  eye;  and  added, 

"Jack,  it's  getting  rather  close  behind  this  rock; 
hadn't  we  two  better  walk  forward  into  the  open 
air?     There's  more  room  for  us  out  there,  I  thipk/' 


WAKING  UP  THE  BATTERIES.        Ill 

"No,  no  indeed,  Captain"!  exclaimed  the  young 
lady  with  a  blush,  "those  were  only  such  words 
as  every  woman  should  speak  to  every  Southern 
gentleman." 

"Yes,  Captain  Ward,"  said  Jack  springing  to^his 
feet,  "Let's  go  forward  among  the  cannon,  and  see 
what  the  old  Yankees  are  doing.  Our  men  whip- 
ped 'em,  didn't  we?" 

"Oh!  we  whipped  them  badly,  Jack,"  replied  the 
captain. 

"Hold  on.  Jack!"  exclaimed  his  sister  with  a 
start,  "you  shan't  go  forward  into  the  jaws  of 
danger  again.  Come,  we  must  return  to  Marietta 
before  any  more  trouble  comes  upon  us.  Mother 
will  be  almost  crazy  about  us,  and  we  must  go  at 
once." 

"Oh!  no.  Sis,"  answereo  Jack  impetuously,  as 
tears  gushed  from  his  eyes,  "there's  no  danger  now, 
and  I  do  want  to  go  and  see  over  the  mountain  at 
the  Yankees.  Captain  Ward  told  me  to  come  on ; 
and  he'll  take  good  care  of  me." 

"Yes,  let  us  go  for  a  minute,  Miss  Harper,"  said 
the  captain,  "there  is  no  danger  just  now,  Come 
with  us,  too,  and  survey  the  pomp  of  war,  since 
you  have  already  seen  and  heard  its  terrors." 

"WeU,  I  will  go  for  a  few  minutes,  and  then 
Jack  and  I  must  be  getting  away  from  here.  This 
is  no  place  for  women  and  children." 

They  started  forward  toward  the  parapet. 

"Stop  a  minute,"  said  Miss  Mary,  "do  listen  to 
that  red-bird.     I  thought  every  one  of  his  kind  had 


112        KENNESAW'S  BOMBARDMENT. 

flown  at  least  five  miles  away  from  the  mountain 
after  the  terrible  tumult  which  had  surrounded  it 
to-day.  But  the  little  fellow  has  lit  upon  that  tree, 
and  is  singing  as  fearlessly  and  merrily  as  though 
a  cannon  had  never  been  fired  in  Georgia." 

"Yes,"  said  Captain  Ward,  "he  is  a  regular 
Confederate.  It  takes  something  more  than  a 
bombardment  from  Yankee  batteries  to  demoralize 
him." 

"Ah!"  interjected  a  soldier  standing  right  by 
them,  "that's  the  right  kind  of  talk;  but  I  confess 
that  for  awhile  I  felt  like  the  fellow  did  up  about 
Chickamauga.  He  saw  a  dog  skedaddling  through 
the  woods  as  fast  as  his  legs  could  carry  him  when 
the  battle  was  about  at  its  worst.  Stopping  for  an 
instant,  he  looked  at  him,  and  then  said  in  an 
under  tone,  'Run,  dog,  run,  if  I  wasn't  a  man 
I'd  run  too.' " 

A  hearty'  laugh  ensued  from  the  party,  after 
which  Miss  Harper  remarked,  "But  our  little  red- 
bird  is  made  of  more  heroic  stuflf  than  the  dog  in 
your  story." 

The  bright  little  winged  songster,  as  if  almost 
conscious  of  the  fact  that  he  was  receiving  such 
flattering  attention,  continued  warbling  forth  some 
of  his  gayest  and  sweetest  notes.  Then,  stopping 
for  an  instant,  he  arose  from  his  perch,  darted  over 
toward  the  right,  and,  alighting  upon  the  very  muzzle 
of  one  of  the  cannon  of  Guibor's  battery,  which  was 
now  temporarily  deserted,  resumed  his  inspiring 
little  song.     A  hundred  eyes  beheld  him,  and  there 


WAKING  UP  THE  BATTERIES.         113 

was  apparently  a  general  desire  to  applaud  the 
little  Confederate  prototype ;  but  all  refrained  until 
after  a  couple  of  minutes'  flow  of  his  merriest  notes, 
he  arose  and  flew  still  further  toward  the  right  of 
the  line.  Then  there  was  a  general  clapping  of 
hands  and  an  enthusiastic  cheer  with  shouts  of 
**Hurrah  for  our  game  little  Confederate!"  and 
Partridge  shook  his  head  and  emphatically  ex- 
claimed, "I'll  never  shoot  another  red-bird!" 

As  they  walked  up  toward ^the  northern  side  of 
the  ridge,  the  sound  of  a  banjo  and  the  patter  of 
feet  were  heard  near  by,  and,  passing  a  huge  bowl- 
der, they  suddenly  came  upon  a  group  of  soldiers 
around  a  negro  who  was  picking  a  banjo  and  sing- 
ing, while  a  couple  of  other  negroes  were  patting 
and  dancing  a  jig. 

The  soldiers,  seeiug  the  lady,  immediately  arose, 
throwing  off  their  air  of  abandon  and  carelessness, 
and  saluted  her  and  her  escort  with  respectful 
deference.  The  darkeys,  however,  being  so  busily 
engaged  in  amusing  the  party,  did  not  notice  what 
was  the  cause  of  the  uprising,  and  continued  their 
merriment. 

As  Captain  Ward  and  the  others  passed  along, 
they  caught  one  verse  of  the  negro's  song  ; 

"Kabbit  take  his  pipe  to  smoke, 
'Coon  eat  turkey  hash  ;< 
'Possum  try  to  crack  a  joke, 
But  wolf  run  off"  wid  de  cash." 

Jack  was  immensely  amused  at  this  part  of  the 


114        KENNESAWS  BOMBAKDMENT. 

proceediDgs,  and  lingered  to  hear  some  more  of  it; 
but  the  others  passed  on  their  way. 

Within  a  minute  or  so,  however,  he  came  run- 
ning forward  and  exclaimed  in  a  pleading  tone: 
*'0,  Captain  Ward,  and  Sis,  please  come  back  here 
and  listen  to  the  singing;  it's  mighty  funny." 

Well,  Jack,"  answered  the  captain  good-humored- 
ly,  "I  reckon  we  will  have  to  hear  a  song  or  two 
for  your  especial  benefit, — a  sort  of  mountain  con- 
cert in  the  open  air  by  uneducated  artistes." 

They  accordingly  stepped  back  among  the  merry 
makers  who  again  rose  to  greet  them. 

Captain  Ward  then  remarked,  "Don't  let  us 
break  up  the  fun,  boys;  we  have  come  to  enjoy  it 
with  you.  And  you  have  the  most  select  audience 
you  ever  rehearsed  before.  Now,  Woodson,  give 
us  one  of  your  best,  and  do  your  best." 

"All  right,  Marse  John,  we'll  do  our  level  best; 
but  what  song  does  you  want?  How'll  'Susanna 
do  for  yer?"  said  Woodson. 

"That'll  do  finely,"  exclaimed  the  captain,  "Now 
do  you  play  and  sing,  and  we'll  all  join  in  the 
chorus." 

"Yes,  sir,"  said  Jack,  "we'll  all  join  in  the 
chorus." 

"All  right.  Jack,"  added  Miss  Harper  with  a 
laugh,  "we'll  all  join  in  the  chorus  for  your  benefit." 

The  whole  party  formed  a  circle  around  Wood- 
son, who  began  picking  his  banjo,  and  then  sang: 

"Ise  come  from  Alabama  wid  de  banjo  on  my  knee, 

Ise  gwine  to  Louisiana  my  true  love  for  to  see ; 


WAKING  UP  THE  BATTERIES.         115 

It  rain'd  all  night  de  day  I  left,  de  wedder  it  was  dry, 
De  sun  so  hot  I  froze  lo  deaf,  Susanna,  don't  you  cry." 

Then  as  Woodson  threw  back  his  head,  walled 
his  eyes,  patted  his  feet  and  slung  his  banjo  around 
in  a  serio-comic  ecstacy,  the  entire  line  of  officers, 
privates,  negroes  and  Jack  and  his  sister  stormed 
out  the  chorus : 

"O  Susanna! 
Don't  you  cry  for  me; 
I've  come  from  Alabama 
With  the  banjo  on  my  knee." 
After  picking  his  banjo  nimbly  for  a  minute, 
Woodson  wagged  his  head  in  what  may  best  be 
termed  a  zig-zag  manner,  and  sang  the  second  verse : 
**I  jump'd  aboard  de  Telegraph  an'  travel'd  down  de  river, 
De  'lectric  fluid  magnifi^  and  killed  four  hundred  nigger, 
De  bullgine  bust,  de  ho§s  run  off,  I  really  thought  to  die; 
I  shot  my  eyes  to  hold  my  breff ;  Susanna,  don't  you  cry." 
Officers  and  men  now  joined  ''all  hands  'round," 
and  with  the  patter  of  feet  woke  the  welkin  with : 
"O  Susanna ! 
Don't  you  cry  for  me; 
I've  come  from  Alabama 
With  the  banjo  on  my  knee." 
Jack  laughed  till  he  almost  choked ;  and  Wood- 
son, after  a  broad  grin  had  shown  his  big  white 
teeth,  continued  in  a  rather  subdued  tone: 

*'I  had  a  dream  de  odder  night  when  everything  was  still, 
I  thought  I  seen  Susanna  a  comin'  down  de  hill, 
De  buckwheat  cake  war  in  her  mouf,  de  tear  war  in  her 

eye, 
Says  I,  'Ise  comin'  from  de  Souf,  Susanna,  don't  you  cry." 
Just  here  every  man  put  his  hand  to  his  mouth, 


116        KENNESAW'S  BOMBARDMENT. 

after  Captain  Ward  had  whispered  to  Miss  Harper, 
and  Jack  found  himself  the  only  one  singing  the 

chorus. 

"O  Susanna ! 
Don't  you  cry  for  me — " 

his  childish  voice  rang  out,  shrill  and  clear;  but, 
hearing^no  others,  and  seeing  a  solemn  look  upon 
the  faces  of  all,  and  every  ^ne  perfectly  silent. 
Jack  exclaimed: 

**0h!  ain't  you  going  to  sing  the  chorus? 
Excuse  me." 

All  were  provokingly  quiet  for  about  twenty 
seconds,  while  Jack's  face  became  as  red  as  a  beet ; 
but  then  Captain  Ward  came  to  his  relief  by  shout- 
ing: 

''O  Susanna!" 

and  the  entire  circle  joined  in,  and  shook  the  air 
with, 

"Don't  you  cry  for  me  ; 
I've  come  from  Alabama 
With  the  banjo  on  my  knee." 

Woodson  after  an  instant  picked  his  banjo,  and 
continued : 

"I'll  soon  be  down  in  New  Orleens,  an'  den  I'll  look  all 
'round. 
An'  if  I  find  Susanna  I'll  fall  upon  de  ground; 
But  if  T  do  not  find  her  dis  darkey'll  shorely  die, 
And  when  I'm  dead  and  buried,  Susanna,  don't  you  cry." 

Woodson  then  jumped  up,  swung  his  banjo  above 
his  head,  and,  as  the  other  negroes  patted  vigor- 
ously, began  dancing  an  old-fashioned  jig,  while  all 


WAKING  UP  THE  BATTERIES.        117 

of  his  audience  swung  their  hats  above  their  heads 
and,  marching  around  in  a  circle,  sang: 
"O  Susanna! 
Don't  you  cry  for  me* 
I've  come  from  Alabama 
With  the  banjo  onjmy  knee." 

The  echoes  seemed  to  linger  among  the  crags, 
and  Jack  laughed  himself  almost  hoarse.  He  then 
turned  to  Captain  Ward  and  said : 

"O  Captain,  now  get  Sis  to  sing,  'O  yes,  I  am  a 
Southern  girl.'  I  know  these  soldiers  would  like  to 
hear  it." 

"Oh!  no,  indeed,  Jack,"  exclaimed  his  bister, 
"you  will  be  voted  a  first- class  nuisance  il  you  don't 
hold  your  tongue." 

"Ah!  but  why  not,  Miss  Harper?  I  like  Jack's 
suggestion,  and  dare  say  that  all  these  gentlemen 
would  feel  honored  and  delighted  if  you  would  sing 
for  us.  Pardon  me  for  saying  that  you  have  illus- 
trated the  highest  type  of  Southern  womanhood 
to-day,  and  I  am  sure  we  would  all  be  charmed  to 
have  you  sing  for  us." 

"Yes,  please  sing  for  us;  we  should  so  much  like 
to  hear  you,"  came  from  at  least  twenty  voices  in 
the  throng. 

"Well,  this  is  more  than  I  bargained  for,"  said 
the  young  lady  to  Captain  Ward,  while  her  face 
was  suffused  with  blushes,  "But  I  am  without  an 
accompaniment. " 

"Ah,  we  will  supply  that,"  answered  the  captain. 
"Here,  Mr.  Carnes,  please  bring  your  cornet." 


118        KENNESAW'S  BOMBARDMENT. 

"With  great  pleasure,  sir,"  exclaimed  the  young 
musician,  who  was  a  member  of  the  division  band, 
and  a  superb  master  of  his  art. 

Stepping  forward,  he  bowed  politely  to  MIes 
Harper,  who  smiled  and  said,  "If  'twere  done 
Hwere  well'twere  done  quickly." 

Taking  his  cornet,  he  began  playing  the  prelude 
to  the  air,  'The  bonnie  blue  flag,"  and  then,  as  its 
clear,  silvery  echoes  quivered  around  the  mountain 
top  with  the  sweetest  melody.  Miss  Harper  sang : 

"Oh!  yes,  I  am  a  Southern  girl, 

And  glory  in  the  name. 
And  boast  it  with  far  greater  pride 

Than  glittering  wealth  or  fame. 
We  envy  not  the  Northern  girl, 

Her  robes  of  beauties  rare, 
Though  diamonds  grace  her  snowy  neck. 

And  pearls  bedeck  her  hair. 

Chorus.— Hurrah  I  hurrah ! 

For  the  sunny  South  so  dear: 
Three  cheers  for  the  homespun  dress 
The  Southern  ladies  wear. 

The  homespun  dress  is  plain,  I  know, 

My  hat's  palmetto,  too; 
But  then  it  shows  what  Southern  girls 

For  Southern  rights  will  do. 
We've  sent  the  bravest  of  our  land 

To  battle  Avith  the  foe, 
And  we  will  lend  a  helping  hand; 

We  love  the  South,  you  know. 

Hurrah !  hurrah !  etc. 


WAKING  UP  THE  BATTERIES.        119 

Now,  Northern  goods  are  out  of  date ; 

And  since  old  Abe's  blockade, 
We,  Southern  girls  can  be  content 

With  goods  that's  Southern  made. 
We  sent  our  sweethearts  to  the  war, 

But,  dear  girls,  never  mind, 
Your  soldier-love  will  ne'er  forget 

The  girl  he  left  behind. 

Hurrah!  hurrah!  etc. 

The  soldier  is  the  lad  for  me — 

A  brave  heart  I  adore ; 
And  when  the  sunny  South  is  free, 

And  fighting  is  no  more, 
I'll  choose  me  then  a  lover  brave 

From  out  the  gallant  band. 
The  soldier  lad  I  love  the  best 

Shall  have  my  heart  and  hand. 

Hurrah !  hurrah !  etc. 

The  Southern  land's  a  glorious  land, 

And  has  a  glorious  cause*; 
Then  cheer,  three  cheers  for  Southern  rights, 

And  for  the  Southern  boys. 
We  scorn  to  wear  a  bit  of  silk, 

A  bit  of  Northern  lace  : 
But  make  our  homespun  dresses  up, 

And  wear  them  with  such  grace. 

Hurrah  !  hurrah!  etc. 

And  now,  young  man,  a  word  to  you; 

If  you  would  win  the  fair. 
Go  to  the  field  where  honor  calls. 

And  win  your  lady  there. 
Kemember  that  our  brightest  smiles 

Are  for  the  true  and  brave. 


120        KENNESAW'S  BOMBARDMENT. 

And  that  our  tears  are  all  for  those 
Who  fill  a  soldier's  grave. 

Chorus. — Hurrah !  hurrah ! 

For  the  sunny  South  so  dear; 
Hurrah  for  the  homespun  dress 
The  Southern  ladies  wear." 

A  tempest  of  applause  succeeded,  in  the  midst  of 
which  one  of  the  soldiers  shouted,  ''Three  cheers 
for  a  Southern  young  lady  who  illustrates  that  song 
by  herself  wearing  a  homespun  drees !  God  bless 
her,  and  give  one  like  her  to  every  home  in  Dixie !  '^ 

The  whole  mountain  top  rang  with  the  enthusi- 
astic cheers  which  followed;  and  Captain  Ward 
then  remarked : 

"Gentlemen,  it  is  needless  to  say  that  we  are 
under  a  thoupand  obligations  to  our  fair  friend 
who  has  made  this  mountain  peak  seem  like  the 
home  of  the  muses ;  or  better  far,  like  one  of  our 
sweet  Southern  homes;  but  as  I  wish  her  to  enjoy 
the  view  over  the  surrounding  country  before  dusk, 
we  must  bid  you  adieu." 

Miss  Harper  then  gracefully  bowed  to  the  throng, 
exclaiming  in  an  audible  tone,  "God  bless  our 
Southern  soldiers!" 

All  hats  were  lifted,  and  every  one  politely 
saluted  them  as  the  captain  and  his  beautiful 
charge  passed  on  from  their  midst. 

The  party  then  walked  forward  to  the  parapet, 
and  looked  upon  the  rolling  hills,  which  bordered 
the  base  of  the  great  mountain  on  the  north. 

For  a  while  they  stood,  viewing  the  dark  forests 


WAKING  UP  THE  BATTERIES.         121 

below,  with  open  areas  of  fields  here  and  there. 
Peering  out  of  the  first  or  whitening  the  latter  were 
the  tents  of  the  Federal  army,  in  front  of  which, 
like  Httle  red  threads,  ran  the  entrenchments. 
Before  even  these  they  could  in  one  spot  and  then 
another  see  little  puffs  of  smoke  and  hear  faint 
sounds  of  skirmish  firing. 

Just  at  this  time  Lieutenant  Sam  Kennard,  of 
Guibor's  battery  came  up,  and,  after  saluting  the 
party,  remarked:  "I  see  you  are  again  taking  a 
view  over  the  Yankee  camps  and  the  surroundings 
in  general.  I  have  a  copy  of  this  morning's  Atlanta 
Intelligencer,  in  which  is  a  most  beautiful  description 
of  it,  and  which  I  will  let  you  have.  " 

"Thank  you  very  much,"  said  Miss  Harper,  and 
Captain  Ward,  taking  the  paper,  in  compliance 
with  her  evident  desire  read  the  article,  as  they  sat 
down  under  a  small  cedar  tree. 

**One  of  the  most  magnificent  views  to  be  seen  on 
earth  is  the  scene  exhibited  from  the  summit  of  the 
Kennesaw  Mountain.  From  its  base  a  valley  on 
all  sides  spreads  off  in  billowy-like  surfaces,  rolling 
higher  and  higher  until  it  is  lost  on  the  south 
on  the  blue  outline  of  the  southeastern  spur  of 
the  Alleghanies,  on  whose  crests  the  white  line  of 
houses  and  occasional  spires  of  Atlanta  are  plainly 
visible.  Southward,  beyond  that  regular  line,  a 
smooth,  blue  cone  lifts  up  its  head  above  all  the 
ridges  within  view,  and  overlooks  the  eminences  of 
all  the  country.  It  is  Stone  Mountain,  that  barren 
hill  and  wonderful  curiosity  that  arises  like  a  huge 
loaf,  and,  though  over  twenty  miles  soXith  of  the 
crests  where  Atlanta  rests  in  her  beauty,  it  seems 


122        KENNESAW'S  BOMBARDMENT. 

as  though  it  was  a  helmet  sitting  on  the  brow  of 
this  giant  ridge. 

"Eastward,  and  but  a  few  miles  from  the  base 
of  the  Kennesaw,  the  lovely  village  of  Marietta 
gleams  out  from  amid  the  luxuriant  foliage  which 
embowers  it  like  an  emerald  setting  woven  in  a 
cluster  of  diamonds.  In  its  desolation  it  remains 
beautiful.  Its  arbored  shades  look  as  inviting  as 
when  the  exquisite  forms  of  beauty  and  the  attrac- 
tive eyes  of  lovely  and  loved  women,  and  elegant 
people  charmed  the  visitor  to  remain  and  luxuriate 
amid  its  endearments.  The  defacing  touch  and 
destroying  presence  of  an  army  are  evident  on 
its  face.  Its  citizens  gone,  its  magnificent  homes 
deserted,  its  regal  residences  desolate,  its  church 
bells  quiet,  its  halls  abandoned  and  its  music 
silenced,  it  remains  but  a  warlike  citadel  on  the 
plain.  The  echoes  of  war,  the  fitful  signal  of  the 
clanging,  spurred  dragoons,  the  challenge  of  the 
sentry,  the  snort  of  the  war-horse,  the  shrieks  of  the 
steam-engines,  the  rumbling  of  trains  of  cars  and 
long  lines  of  wagons,  and  the  shouts  of  teamsters 
and  workmen,  swell  aloud  on  the  air  at  intervals, 
and  then  the  oppressive  silence  becomes  more  intol- 
erable than  the  noise  was  before.  The  destructive 
finger  of  war  is  laid  on  the  village,  but  it  remains 
beautiful  in  its  ruins.  Northeastward  from  the 
slope  of  the  mountain  the  billowy  hills  wave  into 
the  dim,  misty  outline  of  the  crests  whose  thin  blue 
brows  stretch  to  the  Catskills  on  the  Hudson.  The 
Blue  Ridge,  with  all  its  strange  contour  and  fantas- 
tic outlines,  fades  before  us  into  a  cloud,  and  into 
the  impenetrable  depths  where  even  distance  does 
not  'lend  enchantment  to  the  view,'  by  robing  the 
'mountain  in  its  azure  hue.' 

"Brush  Mountain  casts  up  its  shaggy  head  before 
us,  and  like  the  hump  of  a  camel  sits  a  ragged 
monster  ])arrier,   on  whose  sloping  face  an  army 


WAKING  UP  THE  BATTERIES.        123 

defends  the  pathways  that  lead  to  the  goal  of  our 
enemy's  ambition.  At  it«  feet  a  smiling,  peaceful 
valley  shows  its  fair  face,  and,  laughing  in  the  sun- 
light, its  green  fields  and  treasured  homes  reflect 
back  the  scorched  rays  of  the  bright  sun,  shining 
like  the  glorious  gems  that  they  are  to  the  husband- 
man. Far  off  northward  their  bosoms  are  bared  to 
grow  the  wealth  that  fills  our  granaries  and  store- 
houses with  their  golden  grain.  The  limit  is 
bounded  by  the  hills  along  the  Etowah.  Skirting 
the  horizon,  their  broken  backs  are  misty  and  dim. 
Sometimes  a  dull  red  or  barren  sandy  spot  on  the 
iron  hills  gleams  out  on  their  sides  or  summits. 

"To  the  north  and  westward  the  fertile  country 
presents  a  repetition  of  hills  and  valleys  that  are 
studded  with  the  beautiful  farms  of  planters,  whose 
homes  awhile  since  were  busy  hives  of  industry, 
and  where  peaceful  sounds  of  pastoral  life  only 
broke  on  the  ear. 

"The  great  red  banks  of  the  Western  &  Atlantic 
Railroad  wind  like  the  tortuous  curvings  of  a  huge 
snake  along  over  the  surface — here  on  an  enormous 
bank,  there  through  a  deep  cut.  It  winds  back 
and  forth,  binding  the  mountains  and  valleys  with 
links  of  iron,  and  transports  the  treasures  of  the 
caverns  on  the  Tennessee  on  its  surface  for  the 
necessities  and  luxuries  of  a  people  hundreds  of 
miles  to  the  southward. 

"Away  over  the  tops  of  the  peaked  hills  at 
AUatoona,  the  dim  outlines  of  the  ranges  of  hills 
along  the  Etowah  and  Oostanaula  float  in  the  mists 
of  the  quivering  sunlight.  We  almost  seem  to  see, 
bounding  the  horizon,  and  shutting  off  the  view, 
the  exquisitely  beautiful  and  gracefully  curved  out- 
lines of  Lookout  Mountain. 

"The  sparkling,  glassy  curves  of  Noonday  Creek 
glitter  in  the  sun's  rays.     But  to-day,  instead  of  the 


124        KENNESAW'S  BOMBARDMENT. 

fairies  that  once  sported  beneath  the  silver  sheen  of 
the  moon's  soft  rays,  armed  men  make  night  hideous 
with  their  brawls,  their  hoarse  challenges,  and  the 
quick,  sharp  shot  of  their  deadly  rifles. 

"Off  to  the  left,  nearly  in  the  track  of  the  set- 
ting sun,  Pine  Mountain  shows  its  sombre  sides. 
Almost  dark  with  the  perennial  verdure  of  its  foli- 
age, its  cypress  gloom  frowns  down  black  as  a 
funeral  pall.  It  mourns  that  a  deed  of  blood  and 
crime  was  done  on  its  crown.  There  it  stands,  and 
forever  will  remain  a  monument  for  legends  and 
history,  to  tell  that  a  noble  Christian,  a  gallant 
warrior,  a  great  champion,  and  a  loved  man  died 
in  battle  at  the  hands  of  our  enemy.  .There  Gen- 
eral Leonidas  Polk,  the  great  bishop,  the  great 
general,  was  killed.  Even  our  enemies  cannot 
rejoice  over  the  horrid  deed.  Our  country  mourns 
his  loss.  History  will  weave  about  his  crosier,  his 
sword  and  his  tomb,  and  entwine  with  the  chaplet 
that  adorns  his  memory,  his  many  virtues  and  his 
glorious,  gallant  deeds. 

''South  of  the  dark  mountain  a  black  and  gloomy 
forest  presents  its  interminable  and  intricate  lab- 
yrinths of  trees.  They  are  overlooked  by  Lost 
Mountain,  which  stands  grim  and  frowning  like  a 
huge  grizzly  monarch  of  the  olden  time.  The  very 
air  of  antiquity  seems  to  hang  over  it,  and  though 
a  wonderful  curiosity,  a  monstrous  freak  of  nature's 
fantastic  humor,^  yet  it  stands  a  forbidding  sentinel 
and  landmark  to  the  hundred  hills  around. 

* 'South  and  west  are  the  bloody  depths  about 
New  Hope  Church  and  Dallas.  Eastward  are  the 
yet  ghostlier  places  of  sepulchre  about  Gilgal,  and 
beyond  the  base  of  Little  Kennesaw  are  seen  the 

'•"It  is  said  that  Lost  Mountain  was  so  called  because  it  wan- 
dered away  from  all  the  other  mountains  and  got  lost. 

From  its  summit  one  can  easily  look  into  Marietta,  eight  miles 
distant, 


WAKING  UP  THE  BATTERIES.         125 

mazes  of  the  dark  and  bloody  grounds  where  battle 
has  made  fearful  and  horrid  marks. 

"Over  the  whole  valley  surrounding  the  base  of 
Kennesaw  the  arts  and  appliances  of  war  have  dis- 
placed the  humbler  work  of  the  husbandman. 
Interminable  lengths  of  earthworks  and  forts, 
parallels  and  approaches,  defenses  and  advance 
lines,  batteries  and  muskets  and  warrior  foes 
cover  the  land.  Thousands  of  white  spots  declare 
the  tented  field.  The  deep-mouthed  bellowmg  of 
brazen  cannon,  the  chopping  sound  of  the  picket 
shots,  volleys  of  opposing  musketry,  shouts  of 
infuriated  men,  the  yells  of  advancing  foes,  the 
neighing  of  the  war  steeds,  the  bray  of  mules, 
the  shrill  blasts  of  trumpets,  the  roars  of  mimic 
thunder,  answering  the  furious  bursts  of  the  battle 
storm,  the  charge,  the  broken  retreat,  the  cheer  of 
the  victors — all  echo  up  to  our  perch  on  the  crown  of 
the  giant  that  sits  serene  where  no  political  tempest, 
no  national  convulsion  or  continental  earthquake 
can  shake  its  philosophic  calm  or  its  granite  founda- 
tion. The  smoke  of  battle  rises  thick  and  in  fetid 
volumes.  Hundreds  of  souls,  the  manes  of  the 
dead,  are  floating  to  the  skies  on  that  sulphurous 
vapor,  and  its  incense  arises  from  those  battle-field 
altars  of  sacrifice,  and  the  sun  hides  its  face  behind 
the  white  .cloud,  but  tints  the  attenuated  sheet  with 
gorgeous  colors.  Deep  brown  and  red  edges  shade 
the  purple  mists,  and  faint  patches  of  blue  open 
like  gateways  to  the  fair  and  glorious  heaven 
beyond. 

'  'The  battle  still  rages  and  roars  its  puny  thunder- 
strokes against  the  battlement  that  stretches  its 
rocky  crest  far  up  into  God's  own  bright  sky. 
A  violet  glory  rests  over  the  western  horizon. 
Dim  stretches  of  gold  radiate  from  the  far-ofi"  moun- 
tains to  the  o'erarching  zenith,  crimson  spots  paint 


126        KENNESAWS  BOMBARDMENT. 

and  mottle  the  dim  sapphire  glow  that  casts  its 
glorious  mantle  over  the  earth.  The  gorgeous 
scene  slowly  faints  away  beneath  the  sun's  dying 
rays.     'Tis  sunset. 

"Twilight  comes  on  apace,  and  night.  Then  the 
moon  glides  up  the  sky  and  over  the  mountain, 
and  looks  down  on  a  scene  of  blood,  where  proud 
mortals  cast  the  lives  and  pride  of  a  province  away. 
It  coldly  frowns  on  the  battle-field.  It  sadly  smiles 
on  Kennesaw." 

"That  is  indeed  beautiful! "  exclaimed  Miss  Har- 
per, "and  how  true,  too." 

"Yes,"  replied  Captain  Ward,  "it  is  a  very  fine 
piece  of  word  painting.*     But  ah!  listen." 

In  the  still  summer  air,  just  before  twilight,  they 
could  hear  the  brass  bands  of  the  Federal  army 
playing  the  national  airs,  some  "Hail  Columbia, 
happy  land!"  and  others,  "The  star-spangled  ban- 
ner, oh,  long  may  it  wave!" 

"Yes,"  exclaimed  Miss  Harper,  after  a  pause, 
"I  wish  we  could  hail  Columbia  as  a  happy  land; 
but  we  can't  do  it  until  our  country's  soil  is  free 

*  Another  very  graphic  description  of  this  imposing  scene 
is  found  in  the  following  extract  from  a  letter  by  the  correspondent 
of  the  "Atlanta  Register,"  published  during  June,  1864: 

"Our  object  being  to  visit  the  mountain,  we  did  not  tarry  long 
in  the  city,  which  one  can  scarcely  recognize  as  the  quiet  little 
watering  place  of  years  gone  by. 

=:■  =;■•  =:=  It  is  three  miles  to  the  top  of  Kennesaw  INIountain, 
which  looms  up  so  plainly  as  you  leave  the  city  (Marietta)  that 
you  would  hardly  imagine  it  half  the  distance. 

*  *  ■■'■  Thought  it  wouldn't  do  to  stand  still,  and  kept  on  up 
towards  the  mountain  top.  Hadn't  gone  far  before  another  wicked 
shell  went  crashing  through  the  trees  overhead,  and  we  went  down 
again.  Got  up  again,  however,  and  traveled  along  the  rocky  path 
at  a  very  lively  pace,  until  we  ensconced  ourself  behind  the  works 
of  the  battery  at  the  apex.  After  a  little  while,  our  ears  becoming 
less  nice,  we  strolled  outside  of  the  battery,  and  took  a  good  view 
of  the  Army  of  the  Cumberh\nd  spread  out  before  us  in  the  valley 
below.  It  was  a  grand  sight,  and  one  worth  risking  more  shells 
than  the  Yankees  can  throw  at  Kennesaw  to  see.  In  the  distance 
the  plains  ;vere  dotted  with  Yankee  tents  and  wagons,  here  and 


MRS,    harper's   HOI^IE. 


128        KENNESAW'S  BOMBARDMENT. 

from  the  invader's  tread ;  when  it  is,  we  can  salute 
her  in  p?eans  ot  joy  and  triumph." 

''Ah!"  said  Captain  Ward,  "the  Yankees  say 
the  Southern  women  do  more  to  bolster  up  the  Con- 
federacy by  their  tongues  than  the  men  do  by  their 
arms.     I  see  you  are  a  true  Southern  woman ! " 

"Yes,  and  I  shall  always  remain  so!"  said  his 
fair  comrade,  "but  listen  to  that  Yankee  band  play- 
ing the  'Star-spangled  banner.'  They  appropriate 
a  Southern  man's  poetry  just  as  they  appropriate 
our  homes  and  our  stores.  And  see  those  thou- 
sands of  tents  of  our  enemies  on  Georgia  soil. 
Oh !  let  us  go  away  from  here ;  it  makes  me  angry 
to  look  at  them;  if  I  stay  I  shall  think  and  say 
what  I  ought  not.  Come,  Jack,  we  must  return  to 
Marietta." 

"Well,  I  will  go  with  you,"  said  Captain  Ward, 
"and  Minon,  also,  of  course.  I  would  detail  Minon 
for  the  special  service ;  but  he  is  not  in  condition  to 

there,  like  little  villages  of  Southern  negro  quarters  ;  and  nearer 
their  lines  and  fortifications  were  plainly  vieible,  apparently  not 
over  a  mile  distant. 

With  the  aid  of  a  glass  we  could  see  the  gunners  plainly  as 
they  loaded  their  pieces,  and  nearer  still  could  be  discerned 
plainly  with  the  naked  eye  their  sharpshooters  down  lower  in  the 
valley,  popping  away  now  and  then  at  our  men.  On  Little  Kenne- 
saw,  to  our  left,  a  battery  of  our  guns  was  firing  away  at  the  Yankee 
battery  farther  down  to  the  left,  and  along  both  linos,  as  far  as  we 
could  see  puffs  of  white  smoke  were  ascending  from  time  to  time, 
followed  by  the  dull  booming  of  cannon. 

The  smoke  of  the  Yankee  locomotives  on  the  Western  &  At- 
lantic Railroad  went  trailing  along  the  tree  tops,  and  their  wagons 
could  be  seen  moving  down  towards  the  loft  of  our  line.  We  spent 
some  time  in  looking  over  the  shoulder  of  a  soldier,  who,  with 


f»aper  resting  on  an  idle  gun,  was  sketching  the  scene  as  it  lay, 
ike  a  picture,  spread  out  before  him. 

It  was   hard  to  leave  this  mountain  top,  and  the  grand  view 


which  it  gives ;  but  we  clambered  down  the  steep,  rocky  path, 
dodging,  ft  is  true,  as  wo  came  in  full  range  of  the  shells  again, 
until  we  reached  our  horse,  which  we  mounted,  and  waded  back 
again  through  the  mud  to  Marietta. 


WAKING  UP  THE  BATTERIES.         129 

help  you  down  the  steep  side  of  the  mountain. 
We  will  not  go  over  to  Great  Kennesaw ;  but  will 
take  this  military  trail  down  the  ravine  on  the 
south,  between  the  two  peaks,  and  I  can  arrange  at 
the  foot  of  the  mountain  to  send  you  in  an  ambul- 
ance to  Marietta.  We  had  better  go  before  it  gets 
dark." 

"Yes,  we  had  better  go  at  once,"  replied  Miss 
Harpei;  "we  ought  never  to  have  come." 

"Ah!  don't  say  that,"  said  Captain  Ward,  "for 
if  you  hadn't  come  one  of  the  pleasantest  episodes  of 
a  Southern  soldier's  life  would  have  been  unknown 
to  me." 

"Then  I  withdraw  the  remark,  because  of  the 
mutual  pleasure  which  has  been  allowed  us  even  in 
the  midst  of  so  many  scenes  of  terror,"  answered 
the  young  lady  with  a  smile. 

Just  as  they  were  turning  to  leave,  they  were 
suddenly  thrilled  by  the  sound  of  a  brass  band  but 
a  short  distance  from  them,  which  had  struck  up 
the  inspiring  notes  of  "Dixie."  ♦ 

It  seemed  as  though  the  Yankee  musical  chal- 
lenge met  as  quick  and  defiant  response  as  had  the 
challenge  from  their  cannon  during  the  day. 
High  above  the  calm  atmosphere  around  the  moun- 
tain top  the  glorious  sound  arose,  and  sent  a  feeling 
of  ecstasy  into  the  spirit  of  every  one  who  heard. 

"Hurrah!"  yelled  Jack,  throwing  his  cap  fully 
ten  feet  into  the  air,  "Hurrah  for  our  brass  band!" 
and  then  the  soldiers  seeing  his  enthusiastic  caper, 
joined  and   raised   a  similar  shout.     Almost  like 


130        KENNESAW'S  BOMBARDMENT. 

lightning  it  ran  down  the  whole  line,  and  tremen- 
dous yells  arose  from  the  entire  division  which 
covered  the  mountain. 

As  one  of  the  soldiers  exclaimed,  "It's  almost 
the  same  as  if  some  one  had  have  jumped  a  rabbit 
in  the  midst  of  the  camp." 

The  band  continued  playing,  amid  the  uproarious 
shouts  of  the  soldiery,  and  soon  finished  ihe  air, 
''Dixie;"  and  turned  to  that  of  "The  bonnie  blue 
flag." 

"That  is  good,"  said  Captain  Ward,  "  'Dixie'  is 
more  than  a  match  for  'Hail  Columbia,'  and  'The 
bonnie  blue  flag'  can  cap  'The  star-spangled  banner' 
any  day." 

And  now  again  the  wild  and  piercing  "rebel  yell 
arose  above  the  mountain  top.  This  was  echoed 
back  from  the  hills  below  by  the  cheering  of  the 
Federal  soldiery,  and  thousands  of  them  could  be 
heard  joining  the  general  shout  which  was  sent  to 
meet  the  defiant  "ear  splitters"  of  the  Confederates 
on  the  mountain.  Then  from  Walker's  Confederate 
division  on  the  south  a  prolonged  yell  sprang  forth 
which  ran  down  the  line  till  it  was  taken  up  by 
Bate's  men  in  gray.  Onward  and  onward  it  rolled 
its  wild  billows  of  sound  until  "faint  from  farther 
distance  borne,"  it  died  away  in  a  short,  sharp 
whoop  from  Cleburne's  heroes. 

For  several  minutes  this  continued  on  the  sum- 
mit, until  Captain  Ward  began  really  to  get  appre- 
hensive that  some  of  the  Yankee  gunners  might 
open  fire  again,  in  order  to  make  the  scene  livelier 


WAKING  UP  THE  BATTERIES.         131 

in  other  respects  than  that  of  sound.  But  his  fears 
were  groundless,  for  they  as  well  as  the  Confeder- 
ates seemed  to  have  concluded  that  there  might  be 
a  truce  for  awhile  between  the  cannon. 

But  after  the  vociferous  uproar  had  subsided, 
suddenly  the  band  on  the  summit  of  the  mountain 
began  playing,  "Home,  sweet  home!"  and,  what  a 
wonderful  chauge  ensued  from  the  uoisy  demonstra- 
tion which  had  followed  the  playing  of  the  military 
airs! 

An  impressive  calm  seemed  to  settle  over  the 
entire  mountain  and  forests  below.  The  change 
was  so  sudden,  and  all  the  surroundings  made  it  so 
touching  that  Miss  Harper  found  tears  gushing 
from  her  eyes. 

''Oh,  Captain  Ward,"  she  exclaimed,  "you  must 
pardon  me ;  but  how  I  do  wish  that  this  war  was 
over,  and  that  all  of  our  dear  boys  were  again 
around  their  firesides  at  their  own  sweet  homes! 
Oh!  would  that  I  could  look  down  the  vista  of 
years  to  the  time  when  the  bells  of  mercy  shall  toll 
the  knell  of  departed  wrath ! " 

"Beautiful  words,  well  said!  I  cannot  blame  a 
lady  for  her  tears  when  I  find  one  dropping  from 
my  own  eye,"  exclaimed  Captain  Ward.  "Ah! 
when  this  war  is  over,  may  there  be  less  woe  amid 
the  homes  in  the  south  and  the  north  than  I  have 
sometimes  considered  there  would  be." 

Jack  came  forward  and  took  his  sister's  hand, 
and  whispered,  "Sis,  just  look  and  see  how  those 
soldiers  are  crying.     I  didn't  think  they  would  be 


132        KENNESAW'S  BOMBARDMEIS'T. 

so   sorry   to   hear   'Home,    sweet   home!'   played. 
I  like  to  hear  it.     I  think  it's  a  pretty  tune." 

There  was  deep  silence  everywhere,  except  the 
soft,  sweet  music  from  the  band;  and  when  this 
ended,  there  followed  for  a  few  seconds  a  stillness 
as  of  death;  and  then,  from  far  down  among  the 
Federal  works  was  faintly  heard  the  shout : 
"When  this  cruel  war  is  over, 
Then  we'll  all  come  home  again." 

From  thousands  of  throats  it  seemed  to  rise,  and 
then  from  the  Confederate  ranks  amid  the  cloud- 
swept  crags  was  sent  forth  the  good-humored 
refrain : 

"Yes,  we'll  all  come  home  again!" 

Ah!  the  immortal  brotherhood  of  man.  Oceans 
may  separate  the  persons,  time  may  turn  the  hair 
gray,  bend  the  stout  form  and  dim  the  lustre  of  the 
eyes,  hate  may  for  an  interval  make  them  as  tigers, 
striving  to  rend  to  pieces  and  lap  each  other's  blood; 
but  let  the  still,  small  voice  of  sympathy  speak  to 
them  in  the  quiet  moments,  when  passion's  wildest 
fury  is  spent,  and  they  would  cast  aside  the  dead- 
liest weapons  of  wrath  aud  clasp  hands  as  children 
around  their  mother's  knees. 

Minon  now  remarked,  '*Well,  Miss  Harper,  and 
Captain  Ward,  I  think  we  had  better  go  before 
it  gets  too  dark." 

''That's  so,"  said  Miss  Harper,  "let  us  go  at  once." 

The  party  then,  under  Captain  Ward's  leadership, 
walked  along  the  crest  until  they  reached  the  slope 


WAKING  UP  THE  BATTERIES.         133 

leading  down  into  the  ravine,  and  there  began  the 
descent. 

They  passed  among  the  files  of  soldiers  who  were 
cooking  their  supper,  or  sitting  down  in  groups 
among  the  crags,  laughing  and  talking,  and  some 
of  them  reading  tbeir  favorite  newspaper,  "The 
Rebel,"  which,  originally  published  in  Chattanooga, 
had  been  refugeeing  before  the  army,  stopping  for 
a  while  in  Marietta. 

Sitting  apart  from  these,  on  a  rock,  was  Ward 
Childs,  a  nineteen-year-old  soldier  boy  from  Mis- 
souri, a  member  of  Guibor's  battery.  He  was 
writing  in  his  diary,  and  sad  was  his  heart  as  his 
hand  pencilled  the  words  that  under  the  terrific 
fire  that  day  Caldwell  Dunlap,  brave  fellow,  had 
lost  his  left  arm,  and  that  Bob  Welch  and  J.  B. 
O'Reilly  were  also  badly  wounded.  Childs  was  a 
bright  young  soldier,  and  a  general  favorite. 

Major  Storrs  was  among  the  others,  helping  Pat 
Quinn  to  broil  some  ham.  The  major,  when  oflP 
duty,  was  always  one  of  the  boys,  consequently  he 
made  a  personal  friend  of  each  of  them.  Seeing 
the  young  lady,  he  immediately  came  forward  and 
shook  hands  with  her,  saying,  "I  was  just  starting 
a  few  minutes  ago  to  hunt  you  up  when  I  was 
informed  that  Captain  Ward  was  with  you ;  and  as 
there  is  no  one  more  competent  than  he  to  give  you 
every  attention  I  remained  back  in  the  ranks;  but 
permit  me  now  to  express  my  most  hearty  con- 
gratulations that  you  passed  safely  through  what 
was    really   quite    an   ordeal    to   veteran   soldiers. 


134        KENNESAW'S  BOMBARDMENT. 

I  hope  I  shall  meet  you  again,  but  I  should  hardly 
wish  it  were  here.  And,  by  the  way,  General 
French  has  gone  over  to  the  extreme  right  of  the 
line.  He  said  he  hoped  to  see  you  before  you  went 
down ;  but  that  in  case  he  did  not,  asked  me  if  I  met 
you  to  extend  to  you  his  congratulations  at  not 
being  hurt  to-day  and  also  his  sincere  good  wishes." 

"Thank  you  so  much.  Major,  for  your  kind  words 
of  congratulation,  and  for  a  like  message  from  Gen- 
eral French,"  answered  Miss  Harper.  ''But  does  n't 
it  really  seem  too  wicked  to  profane  so  beautiful  a 
place  as  this  grand  mountain  top  with  the  blood 
seeking  missiles  of  hate  and  death?  Our  noble  old 
Kennesaw  ought  to  have  been  left  to  smile  down  on 
perpetual  scenes  of  peace  and  happiness.  Ah !  the 
Yankees,  the  home  destroying  Yankees  !" 

"Yes,  it  really  does,"answered  the  Major;  "and  you 
will  appreciate  the  comparison  when  I  say  that  your 
remarks  remind  me  of  a  humorous  scene  which 
occurred  when  we  were  fighting  before  Cassville. 
Captain  Hoskins,  some  of  whose  guns  you  see  right 
behind  you,  had  taken  position  on  an  eminence  in  an 
open  space  in  somebody's  front  yard. 

"Just  as  they  had  gotten  everything  about  ready 
for  the  fray  the  old  lady  of  the  house  came  out,  and 
said  to  the  captain,  in  a  shrill  and  very  severe  tone: 
*I  think  that  things  has  come  to  a  pretty  pass  when 
soldiers  has  to  fetch  their  horses  and  cannons  right 
up  into  a  body's  front  yard  for  a  fight. '    • 

"And  she  stayed  there, complaining, until  our  guns 
opened  and  the  enemy's  shells  began  to  whiz  by, 


WAKING  UP  THE  BATTERIES.        135 

then  she,  unlike  you,  ran  down  the  hill  and  into  the 
woods  out  of  sight." 

"Well,"  answered  Miss  Harper,  with  a  merry 
laugh,  "I  don't  know  that  I  was  so  very  much 
unlike  the  old  lady  after  all;  for  the  only  reason  I 
didn't  run  down  the  hill  and  far  away  was  because 
they  would  n't  let  me.  I  will  have  to  admit  that  I 
was  in  mortal  terror  for  several  hours." 

"Yes,  but  I  saw  you  run  right  into  the  midst  of 
a  fire  so  severe  that  the  bravest  soldiers  quailed 
before  its  deadly  fury,"  said  the  major.  "Few 
heroines  have  done  the  like." 

"Ah!  it  was  not  heroism,  but  the  responsibility 
of  love  that  forced  me  to  do  that,"  exclaimed  the 
young  lady  with  a  shudder  at  the  terrible  remem- 
brance, and  with  a  serious  shake  of  her  head  at 
Jack. 

"Well,  we  put  the  flag  up  again,  anyhow,"  said 
Jack. 

"That's  true.  Jack,  you  put  the  flag  up  again  in 
a  very  brave  manner,"  said  the  major,  patting  him 
on  the  head.  "I  wish  we  had  more  grown  men  who 
would  be  as  brave  as  you  were." 

After  shaking  hands  with  the  major,  again,  the 
young  lady  and  her  escort  passed  along  from  the 
group  of  soldiers  who  were  with  Major  Storrs. 

All  the  others  saluted  the  party  with  the  cour- 
tesy, which  is  innate  with  the  men  of  the  South; 
and  Miss  Harper  voiced  her  heart's  sentiments 
when  she  said  in  an  undertone  to  Captain  Ward, 
"Oh  !  our  Southern  soldiers  are  gentlemen,  as  well 


136        KENNESAWS  BOMBARDMENT. 

heroes.     God  bless  them ! " 

Down,  down  the  steep  sides  of  Kennesaw  they 
wended  their  way,  until  at  length,  just  as  darkness 
was  beginning  to  make  the  trail  somewhat  difficult 
to  follow,  they  reached  the  level  ground  at  the  base. 

Here  they  found  several  ambulances  which  had 
been  sent  to  use  in  carrying  the  wounded  men  to 
Marietta. 

Captain  Ward  put  the  party  into  one  of  these, 
and  then  exclaimed: 

'  *  Ah !  I  hear  the  tattoo  beating  on  the  mountain  top. 
Farewell,  Miss  Harper,  I  sincerely  trust  that  we 
may  meet  again  under  much  more  agreeable  con- 
ditions.* God  bless  you  for  your  presence  to-day! 
Good  bye,  Jack,  my  dear  boy,  you  are  a  hero 
already;  live  for  your  country  and  for  God! 
Minon,  I  will  see  to  it  that  you  have  a  furlough 

-To  Captain  Ward  it  was  not  vouchsafed  to  see  the  gratifica- 
tion of  this  wish,  as  the  following  will  show: 

=:=  =:=  =:■•  "Captain  Ward  was  killed  at  Atlanta.  One  morning 
just  after  breakfast  I  went  to  General  Ector's  headquarters,  near 
the  line  at  Atlanta.  It  was  about  three-fourths  of  a  mile  east  of 
Ben  Yancey's  house  and  tish  pond.  The  geneial  said  he  would 
like  for  me  to  fire  a  tew  rounds  at  what  he  took  to  be  new  earth- 
works for  more  batteries  in  the  enemy's  line  to  the  right  of  his 
front.  Captain  Ward's  battery  bore  directly  on  those  points,  and 
I  requested  him  to  fire  about  a  half  dozen  rounds.  He  did  so. 
There  was  no  reply  from  the  new  earthworks  ;  but  from  other  and 
distant  points  projectiles  were,  every  few  minutes,  thrown  near 
our  line  and  over  us  into  the  city. 

General  Ector,  Captain  Ward  and  myself  were  walking  leis- 
urely to  the  rear.  Ward  having  ceased  firing,  when  Lieut.  Cruse 
asked  me  to  sign  a  pass  for  him  to  take  his  washing  to  the  rear. 

I  halfway  sat  down,  and  was  signing  my  name  when  a  spher- 
ical case,  or  shrapnel,  from  the  long  range  guns  of  the  enemy 
exploded  just  above  the  heads  of  Cruse  and  myself. 

When  I  arose  and  handed  the  lieutenant  his  pa.^^s,  to  my 
astonishment  I  saw  General  Ector  lying  on  the  'ground  apparently 
struggling  to  rise.  We  ran  to  him  «nd  found  his  lee;  shattered 
at  the  knee.  Litter-bearers  with  Major  Redwine,  of  Henderson, 
Rusk  Co..  Texas,  now  dead,  ran  up  and  carried  the  general  under 
an  arbor  at  the  breastworks. 

I  had  not  seen  Captain  Ward  until  the  litter-bearers  came  up, 


WAKING  UP  THE  BATTERIES.         13^^ 

for  at  least  two  months.  Go  ahead  to  Marietta^ 
driver!"  and  then,  after  a  courteous  wave  of  the 
hand,  he  turned  and  sought  the  way  up  the  moun- 
tain again. 

Miss  Harper  wiped  the  tears  from  her  eyes  and 
exclaimed :  '  'There  goes  the  perfect  type  of  a  South- 
ern gentleman !  God  bless  his  noble  soul !" 

The  clatter  of  the  wheels  of  the  ambulance 
enlivened  the  evening  air,  and  within  about  a  half 
hour's  time  the  party  had  arrived  at  Miss  Harper's 
home. 

And  what  need  be  added  here?  The  reader  can 
guess  the  sequel.  After  the  cruel  war  was  over 
a  noble  husband  and  a  beautiful  and  sweet  bride — 
not  unheard  of  by  us — received  the  congratulations 
of  scores  of  friends. 

Among  the  decorations  of  the  church  were  fern 
leaves  gathered  from  the  sides  of  Kennesaw  Moun- 
tain. 

then  I  noticed  the  captain  also  down.  A  ball  from  the  shrapnel 
had  lodged  in  his  thigh  It  was  too  high  up  for  the  limb  to  be 
amputated,  and  he  died  a  few  days  afterward. 

Gen.  Ector's  leg  was  taken  off.  He  practiced  law  in  Texas  for 
a  number  of  years  after  the  war;  was  elected  Judge  of  the  Court  of 
Appeals,  and  filled  the  office'with  much  credit  to  his  integrity  and 
legal  ability. 

Captain  Ward  was  a  man  of  remarkable  nerve.  I  have  seen 
him  under  tryinsr  circumstances,  and  he  was  always  cool  and  his 
mind  clear.  He  was  perfectly  calm  for  three  days  upon  his  death- 
bed. 1  sat  by  him  much  of  the  time,  aud  at  the  request  of  Bishop 
Lay,  of  the  Episcopal  Church,  wrote  out  for  the  benefit  of  the 
captain's  wife  and  children  an  account  of  the  manner  of  his  death, 
and  giving  my  testimony  as  an  eye-witness  to  the  high  order  of 
his  patriotic  and  meritorious  services."— Letter  from  Major  Storrs 
to  the  author. 

"JuLT  27th.— This  morning  when  on  the  lines  the  enemy 
opened  fire  on  Ward's  battery,  which  was  responded  to  on  our 
part.  As  it  was  about  ceasing  a  shell,  exploding  over  the  works, 
severely  wounded  General  Ector  in  the  left  thigh,  rendering 
amputation  necessary,  .and  wounded  Captain  John  J.  Ward,  of  the 
artillery,  mortally.  Captain  Ward  was  a  fine  soldier,  and  his  loss 
was  severely  felt.— From  Gen.  S.  Q,  French's  official  report  of 
operations  in  front  of  Atlanta. 

Further  on  General  French  refers  to  Captain  Ward  as  a  "most 
estimable  gentleman  and  gallant  officer." 


138        KENNESAW'S  BOMBARDMENT. 


CHAPTER  Vlir. 

Night  came  on  at  length,  and  the  thick  clouds 
which  threatened  another  rain  laid  a  pall  of  Egyp- 
tian darkness  over  the  mountain  and  the  entire 
country  around.  No  moonbeam,  not  a  single  star's 
ray  broke  through  the  canopy  of  gloom  overhead. 

From  Marietta  on  the  south  and  from  the  Federal 
lines  on  the  north  not  even  the  gigantic  form  of 
Kennesaw  was  visible. 

But  by  those  upon  its  two  summits  the  lights  in 
the  windows  of  the  beautiful  little  city  were  plainly 
observed,  as  were  the  headlights  of  a  couple  of  loco- 
motives which  were  coming  on  the  railroad  from 
Marietta  up  toward  the  Confederate  entrenchments 
at  the  foot  of  the  mountain,  while  a  magnificent 
panorama  greeted  their  eyes  when  they  turned  in 
the  opposite  direction. 

Beginning  east  of  the  railroad  and  extending 
westward,  in  front  of  and  apparently  almost  under 
the  two  peaks,  thence  bending  and  sweeping  south- 
ward for  miles,  were  the  camp  fires  of  the  Federal 
army.  It  was  hardly  an  exaggeration  to  say  that 
ten  thousand  fires,  like  twinkling  stars,  blazed  amid 


WAKING  UP  THE  BATTERIES.         139 

the  camps  of  Sherman's  hundred  thousand  veterans* 
on  the  hills  and  among  the  forests  around  and 
beneath  them.  The  myriad  lights  dazzled  their 
eyes;  and,  although  they  were  widely  scattered, 
yet  the  general  trend  was  a  continuous  one,  and  tK© 
"milky  way"  seemed  to  have  its  counterpart  in  the 
new  firmament  which  war  had  spread  out  below 
them. 

Parallel  to  this,  and  separated  from  it  at  an 
average  distance  of  hardly  half  a  mile,  were  the 
Confederate  camp  fires.  These,  however,  were 
more  irregular  and  not  half  so  many  in  number, 
their  prettiest  feature  being  the  fires  on  the  other 
peak  of  Kennesaw,  northeastward  of  them,  which 
blazed  apparently  amid  air  like  a  chain  of  veritable 
stars  in  the  sky. 

The  prototype  of  these  was  found  in  the  Federal 
camp  fires  on  Lost  Mountain,  about  six  miles  to  the 
west,  which,  through  the  misty  darkness,  shone  like 
a  dimly  discerned,  but  gigantic  constellation. 

"A  wondrously  magnificent  spectacle,  isn't  it?" 
exclaimed  General  French  to  Generals  Cockrell 
and  Ector,  as  the  three  and  a  few  others  stood  in 
an  open  space  on  a  large  rocky  knob,  just  where 
the  western  end  of  Little  Kennesaw  began  sloping 
downward,  and  from  which  point  they  could  com- 
mand an  unobstructed  view  of  the  Federal  line, 

*."I  think  all  will  be  ready  in  three  (3)  days.  I  will  have  nearly 
one  hundred  thousand  (100,000)  men."— Dispatch  from  Gen.  Sher- 
man to  Gen.  Grant,  July  12,  1864. 

This  was  fifteen  days  after  the  great  battle  of  Kennesaw  Moun- 
tain in  which  Sherman's  army  met  a  disastrous  repulse,  with 
heavy  loss,  conseauently  his  numbers  before  the  battle  must  have 
exceeded  one  hundred  thousand  men. 


140        KENNESAW'S  BOMBARDMENT. 

from  the  bright  glare  of  the  fires  on  the  east  and  in 
front  of  them,  to  where  they  grew  fainter,  until, 
miles  away,  in  the  far  south,  their  presence  was 
indicated  only  by  a  luminous  haze  which  filled  the 
atmosphere  above  them. 

''Beautiful!  beautiful,"  exclaimed  General  Cock- 
rell. 

"What  a  pity  that  instead  of  the  light  of  festive 
lamps  it  is  the  blaze  of  the  torch  of  war ! "  added 
General  French. 

"And  that  it  is  war,"  said  Major  Storrs,  "we 
haraly  need  further  confirmatory  evidence  than  to 
listen  to  that  popping  sound  of  the  picket  firing, 
which  we  can  even  now  hear,  and  the  occasional 
booming  of  cannon  down  on  Hardee's  front.  Look 
yonder;  you  can  see  the  little  flashes  from  small 
arms,  sometimes  a  hundred  at  once,  and  several 
times  a  minute  from  our  batteries  or  the  enemy's 
the  blaze  of  fire  from  the  artillery  and  the  quick 
burst  of  light  as  the  shell  explodes.  Even  night 
fails  to  ensure  a  cessation  of  the  work  of  killing."^ 

For  sometime  they  stood  surveying  the  panorama 
of  splendors  which  engirdled  the  mountain,  each 
seeming  awed  beyond  the  desire  of  speech. 

Colonel  Barry  then  remarked  to  the  commander, 
*' General,  don't  you  think  we  would  have  the 
advantage  if  our  batteries  were  to  open  upon  them 

=■■■  "The  usual  flank  exteusion  is  going  on.  Troops  on  both  sides 
move  to  left,  and  now  the  blue  smoke  (  ftlie  musket  discloses  the 
line  by  day  trending  away,  far  away  south  toward  the  Chattahoo- 
chee, and  l)y  night  it  is  marked  at  times  by  the  red  glow  of  the 
artillery  amidst  the  spark-like  flash  of  small  arms  that  looks  m 
the  distance  like  innumerable  fireflies."— From  General  French's 
Diary  during  June,  1864. 


WAKING  UP  THE  BATTERIES.        141 

to-night?  We  could  see  exactly  where  to  fire,  and 
their  aim  would  be  literally  in  the  air,  as  the  night 
is  too  dark  for  them  to  even  see  the  mountain,  and 
their  task  would  be  like  shooting  at  stars.  They 
would  have  nothing  to  fire  at,  except  the  flash  of 
our  pieces,  apparently  away  up  in  the  heavens,  and 
that  would  die  away  before  they  could  sight  their 
guns  at  it." 

"I  was  just  thinking,"  answered  General  French, 
"as  to  whether  that  would  work.  They  might, 
while  our  attention  was  diverted  by  our  artillery 
practice,  attempt  to  storm  our  position  under  cover 
of  the  darkness.  However,  as  a  double  precaution 
I  think  I  will  have  you  and  General  Cockrell  to 
post  two  lines  of  skirmishers,  one  beyond  the  foot 
of  the  mountain,  and  the  other^the  regular  one — 
about  half  way  down,  to  guard  against  that  con- 
tingency, and  then  let  Major  Storrs  and  his  captains 
treat  them  to  a  display  of  falling  stars." 

''That  is  perfectly  agreeable  to  us,"  exclaimed  the 
major;  "and  now,  while  the  infantry  boys  are  taking 
position,  I  will  go  back  and  have  our  guns  run 
forward  in  all  the  batteries,  and  make  ready  for  a 
simultaneous  discharge,  when  the  signal  is  given. 
As  those  rascals  down  yonder  are  keeping  our  men 
awake  just  for  pure  devilment  we  will  give  them 
occasion  to  begin  to  do  some  lively  dodging  them- 
selves." 

"And  we  will  arrange  our  part  of  it  at  once," 
said  General  Cockiell  to  Colonel  Barry,  "and  will 
notify  you  very  soon." 


142        KENNESAW'S  BOMBARDMENT. 

"Well,  gentlemen,"  said  General  Ector,  "my 
picket  line,  which  has  been  pushed  down  to  the  foot 
of  the  mountain  as  soon  as  darkness  came  on,  as  is 
the  case  every  night,  will  protect  me  against  sur- 
prise. But,  by  the  way.  General  Cockrell,  didn't 
the  Yankee  batteries  worry  you  a  good  deal  to-day 
down  yonder  on  the  hill?" 

"Well,  I  should  say  they  did,"  remarked  General 
Cockrell.  "As  one  of  my  artillerymen  said,  their 
fire  was  perfectly  abominable.  It  swept  the  hill 
top  like  a  tornado;  and  the  only  safety  was  in 
lying  close  in  the  trenches.  It  was  even  worse  than 
it  was  the  first  day^  we  took  position  there.  The 
ground  is  now  almost  completely  obstructed  by  a 

*A  gentleman  who  was  a  member  of  Hoskins'  battery,  says 
of  that  day's  events  on  the  hill  at  the  western  end  of  Little  Kejine- 
saw:  "About  four  o'clock,  the  same  day,  two  rifle  Parrott's  of 
Hoskins'  battery  were  drawn  up  the  back  way  of  this  hill,  and 
pulled  around  by  hand,  and  put  in  position,  in  open  view  of  the 
enemy,  about  halfway  up  the  hill,  about  forty  feet  back  of  Gen. 
Cockrell's  lines,  or  works,  which  would  make  us  shoot  over  the 
Missourians.  [This  open  space  of  rock  with  huge  bowlders  scat- 
tered loosely  over  its  surface  is  easily  found  by  the  visitor.— 
Author.] 

The  object,  it  was  said,  was  to  find  the  enemy.  We  opened  fire, 
which  was  the  first  gun  from  Kennesaw. 

We  found  them.  The  smoke  had  not  cleared  away  from  the 
guns  before  the  enemy  opened  with  at  least  thirty  guns,  and  things 
went  to  pieces,  wh'le  our  men  took  shelter  in  the  infantry  pits  of 
Cockr«irs  brigade;  but  not  until  two  men  were  shot  down,  and 
a  wheel  taken  away.  This  first  fire  in  the  valley  killed  two  and 
wounded  three  men  of  Hoskins'  battery.  The  enemy's  fire  ceased 
in  about  ten  minutes,  but  it  had  made  paths  of  destruction  while 
it  lasted. 

Orders  were  then  given  for  ns  to  roll  back  the  guns,  which  was 
done,  after  making  some  repairs ;  but  the  strange  thmg  was  that 
we  were  permitted  to  do  this  without  being  fired  upon. 

It  reminded  one  of  a  bee  gum,  and  no  one  was  anxious  to  stir 
them  up." 

Probably  the  heaviest  artillery  fire  at  any  one  time  by  Sher- 
man was  here,  and  concentrated  on  so  small  a  spot.  Out  of  fifteen 
of  our  cannoniers  with  these  two  guns,  eight  either  sleep  among 
the  neglected  graves  on  Kennesaw,  or  are  hobbling  through  life  as 
cripples.  The  slight  wounds  were  not  counted,  as  an  arm  or  leg 
must  be  gone  to  unfit  our  men  for  duty.— Letter  from  a  member  oT 
Hoskins'  battery  to  the  Author. 


WAKING  UP  THE  BATTERIES.  143 

tangle  of  boughs  which  their  shells  have  torn  from 
the  trees."* 

The  party  then  separated,  and  orders  were  at 
once  sent  to  all  at  interest. 

AVithiu  a  few  minutes  the  "tramp,  tramp,  tramp" 
of  about  a  couple  of  hundred  men  from  each 
brigade  echoed  amid  the  crags,  through  the  night 
air;  and  soon  they  disappeared  in  the  forest,  down 
the  rugged  steeps. 

Major  Storrs  waited  more  than  an  hour,  during 
which  the  guns  had  been  placed  in  position,  the 
ammunition  distributed,  and  everything  made  fully 
ready  for  the  work  appointed  for  his  batteries,  and 
which  the  men  were  very  eager  for. 

General  French  himself,  also,  personally  went 
from  one  end  of  the  ridge  to  the  other,  inspecting 
the  arrangement  of  the  artillery,  and  giving  direc- 
tions as  to  the  execution  of  the  plan,  wherever  the 
location  called  for  difierent  details.  He  likewise 
sent  word  to  the  Confederates  on  Great  Kennesaw, 
of  the  proposed  bombardment. 

During  the  interim  before  "the  ball  was  to  open" 
the  officers  joined  their  several  messes  at  supper. 
Major  Storrs,  however,  "dropped  in  to  take  a  snack," 
as  he  expressed  it,  with  the  boys  of  Hoskins'  battery, 
who  were  at  the  big  rock  at  the  eastern  end  of  the 
crest  of  Little  Kennesaw.  Carnes  and  Walker,  of 
the  division  band,  were  there,  the  latter  with  a  new 

r,^t  t*?^-^  '^^•~  %  Z  '■;  ."Went  early  to  the  left  of  my  line ;  could 
fS^hlf%?JT\^^  ^.°',?^^f'  Battery,  on  account  of  the  trees  and 
W  1864     ^         shells."-From  General  French's  Diary  daring 


144        KENNESAW'S  BOMBARDMENT. 

song   which   he   had  found   in  the   Atlanta  Daily 
Intelligencer,  published  the  day  before. 

By  general  request  he  sang  this,  Carnes  playing 
his  cornet,  just  before  supper.  The  delicious 
melody  of  the  instrument,  combined  with  the  rich 
baritone  voice  of  the  singer,  afforded  the  hearers  a 
treat  which  was  all  the  more  highly  enjoyed  when 
they  realized  what  different  kind  of  ''music"  they 
would  soon  be  hearing.  Though  the  singer  has 
now  passed  away,  though  the  newspaper  which 
published  the  song  no  longer  makes  its  daily  appear- 
ance, though  the  banner  and  cause  which  inspired  it 
are  respectively  furled  and  gone  into  history,  the 
and  under  changed  conditions  is  maintaining  its 
glory  and  is  still  as  dear  to  its  children,  and  the 
song  is  as  sacred  to  the  heart  now  as  then,  and  is 
here  reproduced : 

THEY  ASK  ME  TO  DESERT  MY  LAND. 

During  our  imprisonment  at  Point  Lookout,  every 
prisoner  was  brought  before  an  officer,  and  had  several 
questions  propounded  him,  among  which  was,  "Do  you 
wish  to  take  the  oath  of  allegiance?"  which  caused  me  to 
write  these  lines : 

Air — Wait  till  the  war,  love,  is  over. 
They  ask  me  desert  my  land. 

Its  history  and  glory, 
Whose  faith  is  penned  sublimely  grand, 

In  thrilling  epic  story — 
Whose  strength  is  written  on  ploughed  plains 

By  war's  red,  liery  finger. 
Where  crushing  battle-shocks  and  stains 

Of  carnage  ever  linger. 
Dear  land,  loved  land,  thou  art  my  home  forever. 


ERRA.TUM.— On  page  144,  the  first  word  of 
the  fourteenth  Hne  should  be  "h\nd"  instead  of 
"  and,"   as  printed. 


WAKING  UP  THE  BATTERIES.         145 

They  ask  me  to  desert  my  land, 

Lee,  Beauregard  and  Davis, 
Bright  names  that  fondest  hopes  have  fanned, 

Bright  heroes  that  will  save  us ; 
Johnston,  Longstreet,  Stuart,  too, 

From  them  they  would  me  sever. 
And  in  my  country's  hlood  imbrue 

My  hands — I  answer,  never! 
Dear  land,  loved  land,  thou  art  my  home  forever. 
They  ask  me  to  desert  my  land, 

My  banner  proud  and  peerless, 
And  charge  no  more  with  blade  in  hand 

Beside  the  brave  and  fearless — 
Through  battle  clouds,  'mid  fire  and  shell — 

Fair  freedom's  land  defending, 
And  hearing  despot's  dying  knell, 

With  shouts  of  vict'ry  blending. 
Dear  land,  loved  land,  thou  art  my  home  forever. 
They  ask  me  to  desert  my  land, 

My  tie  of  country  sever, 
Affix  a  traitor's  deed  and  brand 

Upon  my  name  forever. 
They  do  not  know  the  heart  that  beats 

Beneath  my  bosom's  swelling — 
I'd  rather,  in  my  winding  sheets, 

Sleep  in  my  last  claj?  dwelling. 
Dear  land,  loved  land,  thou  art  my  home  forever. 

They  ask  me  to  desert  my  land, 

To  which  my  life  is  given. 
And  with  my  spirit  fear  to  stand 

Within  the  court  of  Heaven. 
Fair,  sunny  land  you  trusted  me 

Amid  the  shock  of  battle — 
My  arm  shall  strike  to  set  thee  free, 

Again  when  cannons  rattle. 
Dear  land,  loved  land,  thou  art  my  home  forever, 

J.  J.  Mc.  C. 


146        KENNESAW'S  BOMBARDMENT. 

Ah!  land  of  the  South,  thou  hast  been  called 
''imperial  land,"  and  well  thou  meritest  the  title, 
for  the  iron  of  an  empire's  strength,  and  the  gold 
of  an  empire's  wealth,  the  marble  of  an  empire's 
majesty  and  the  harvests  of  an  empire's  life  thou 
givest  forth  from  thy  bosom;  and  in  thy  myriad 
homes,  by  the  rolling  ocean,  or  amid  plains  mantled 
by  the  evergreen  pines,  or  where  the  oaks  cover 
the  hills  and  quiet  valleys,  or  upon  the  towering 
mountains,  thou  nurturest  a  race  of  the  fairest 
women  and  the  bravest  men  that  e'er  the  sun  shone 
on.  But  a  nobler  glory  is  thine.  Thy  throne  is  in 
the  hearts  of  thy  children. 

The  Briton's  breast  swells  with  pardonable  pride 
as  he  stands  ready  to  boast  or  to  fight  for  merry 
England,  the  record  of  whose  prowess  has  gone 
through  a  thousand  years  of  toil  or  of  warfare.  The 
Russian,  at  the  command  of  his  sceptred  tyrant, 
follows  with  blind  devotion  the  banner  of  his 
grotesquely  mis-named  "holy  Russia,"  regardless  of 
whether  that  banner  leads  to  the  defense  of  her 
soil  or  the  oppression  of  the  weak.  The  German 
fills  his  speeches  and  his  songs  with  praise  of  his 
"Fatherland,"  and  then — leaves  it  for  a  freer  coun- 
try. The  Frenchman  glorifies  each  hill  and  valley 
of  "la  belle  France,"  and  his  heart  thrills  with 
patriotic  ecstasy,  as  he  goes  forth  to  do  battle  for 
her  fame ;  but  nowhere  in  all  the  world  stands  there 
a  country  whose  children  love  it  with  such  heart- 
brightening  affection  as  do  those  of  our  sunny 
Southland.     To  their  minds  she  is  the  Queen-land^ 


WAKING  UP  THE  BATTERIES.         147 

to  their  hearts  she  is  the  Mother-land,  to  their  souls 
she  is  the  God-favored  land;  and,  though  they  have 
been  falsely  called  traitors  to  a  government  whose 
laws  have  been  mal-administered  by  unprincipled 
partisans,  yet  they  stand  true  to  her,  to  her  tradi- 
tions and  her  glory ;  and  shame  be  upon  the  hand 
and  heart  of  that  one  of  her  sons  who  would  turn 
back  when  she  called  him ! 

At  length  couriers  arrived  from  Colonels  Thos. 
M.  Carter  and  W.  H.  Clark  who  commanded  the 
skirmish  lines, — the  latter  having  gone  to  the  foot 
of  the  mountain  and  the  former  having  stopped 
about  half  way  down, — that  they  had  relieved  the 
pickets,  and  assumed  the  positions  assigned  them, 
and  that  the  immediate  neighborhood  was  free  of 
the  enemy. 

General  French,  who  had  not  gone  down  to  his 
headquarters,  which  were  near  the  foot  of  the 
mountain  on  the  south,  and  who  was  eating  supper 
with  his  staff  behind  a  tremendous  bowlder,  (so 
that  the  light  of  the  fire  would  not  be  observed  by  the 
Federals,)  then  remarked  to  Major  Sanders,  "Well, 
it  is  now  twenty  minutes  past  nine  o'clock;  tell 
Major  Storrs  to  open  tire  from  all  the  batteries 
exactly  ten  minutes  from  now.  The  signal  will  be 
the  discharge  of  a  musket  from  this  point.  Tell  him 
to  order  the  men  to  fire  rapidly;  but  with  as  great 
precision  as  possible.  We  want  to  punish  the 
enemy  badly  before  they  get  ready  to  reply." 

Major  Sanders  at  once  passed   the  orders  to  the 


148        KENNESAW'S  BOMBARDMENT. 

artillery  captains,  and  within  a  few  minutes 
returned  and  reported  all  ready. 

The  general  then  called  Lieutenant  Mother- 
shead,  who  was  talking  to  Colonel  Young,  and  said, 
* 'Lieutenant,  take  that  musket  and  fire  it.  It  is 
loaded  with  a  blank  cartridge ;  but  I  hope  its  dis- 
charge will  mean  the  utter  confusion  of  the  enemies 
of  our  country  and  her  institutions." 

"General,  here  goes  for  a  little  discharge  which 
will  rouse  the  entire  Yankee  army." 

With  that  remark  he  aimed  in  the  direction  of 
the  Federal  camps  and  fired. 

A  bright  flash  ensued  and  the  sharp  report  of  the 
musket  rang  out  amid  the  darkness. 

For  an  instant  afterward  there  was  silence  as 
of  death,  then  like  the  burst  of  a  thunder-cloud, 
almost  simultaneously  from  nine  cannon,  darted 
sheets  of  flame  which  lit  up  the  whole  summit  of 
Little  Kennesaw  and  shot  their  glare  athwart  the 
mist  which  overhung  Noonday  valley  and  its  boun- 
dary hills,  and,  immediately  following,  a  deafening 
roar  shook  the  very  crags,  and,  with  terrific  rever- 
berations, woke  the  country  for  a  dozen  miles 
around. 

Its  startling  echoes  had  scarcely  died  away  ere 
from  thousands  of  throats  a  tremendous  yell  leaped, 
till  even  in  Marietta  it  seemed  that  the  whole  moun- 
tain was  alive. 

This  was  caught  up  by  those  of  the  soldiers  on 
Great  Kennesaw,   who  were  awake,  and  a  sound 


WAKING  UP  THE  BATTERIES.         149 

"as  of  many  waters"  swept  onward  and  onward 
through  the  air  around  the  grand  peaks. 

The  next  moment  it  was  repeated  by  General 
French's  division,  who  seemed  almost  wild  with^the 
thrilling  enthusiasm.  Officers  and  men  sprang  up 
and  shouted  as  if  mad,  and,  to  cap  the  climax, 
several  soldiers  fired  their  muskets  off  into  the  air. 
The  example  was  contagious,  and  from  hundreds 
arose  the  cry  '  'That's  right ;  let's  give  'em  a  regular 
Confederate  salute!"  and,  grasping  their  guns,  they 
began  firing, — the  rattling  explosions  coming  now 
singly,  then  in  bunches,  finally  in  whole  platoons, 
until  pandemonium  seemed  turned  loose  on  Kenne- 
saw. 

The  star-like  flashes  from  the  countless  muskets, 
to  the  eyes  of  those  who  saw  it  in  Marietta  and  in 
the  Confederate  and  Federal  trenches  on  the  south, 
presented  a  scene  of  wondrous  biilliancy.  Thou- 
sands of  men  in  Cleburne's  and  Walker's  divis- 
ions, and  in  the  other  Confederate  divisions  had 
directed  their  gaze  toward  the  mountain  as  soon  as 
the  deafening  reports  of  the  first  discharge  had 
burst  like  thunder  from  the  sky,  and  now,  as  the 
blaze  of  the  cannon  and  the  quick  flashes  of  the 
musketry  firing  burst  out  of  the  gloom  some  of  the 
soldiers  exclaimed,  "It  is  like  myriads  of  fire-flies 
playing  around  shooting  stars." 

They  watched  the  bombardment  with  intense 
interest,  ^  although  it  was  too  dark  for  them  to  dis- 

-"For  the  last  three  or  four  days  (with  the  exception  of  to-day) 
there  has  been  a  furious  artillery  duel  going  on  between  our  bat- 
teries on  Kennesaw  and  the  enemy's.    We  have  a  beautiful  view  of 


150        KENNESAW'S  BOMBARDMENT. 

tinguish  the  mountain,  and  the  whole  scene  for  the 
next  few  hours  appeared  like  the  play  of  fiery 
meteors  in  the  heavens. 

But  the  artillery  battalion  on  Little  Kennesaw 
wasted  no  time  in  cheering.  They  viewed  the 
explosion  of  their  first  volley  of  shells,  whose  blaze 
lit  up  the  forest  wherever  they  fell,  and  then 
hastened  back  to  their  guns,  and  began  executing 
with  great  zeal  and  energy  the  order  to  "fire 
rapidly." 

Generals  French,  Ector,  Cockrell,  Colonels 
Young,  Barry  and  Gates,  and  Majors  Storrs, 
Sanders  and  several  others  took  position  on  top  of 
a  tremendous  bowlder  to  note  the  eflfect  of  the 
bombardment  from  their  batteries. 

Of  course,  through  the  intense  darkness  no  move- 
ment of  the  Federals  could  be  observed ;  and  there- 
fore the  principal  interest  was  in  watching  the  play 
of  their  own  fire. 

For  some  minutes  they  stood,  noticing  the  bright 
light  which  would  here  and  there  suddenly  dart 
forth  among  or  above  the  steady  blaze  of  the  Fed- 
eral camp  fires. 

Soon,  however,  the  latter  began  disappearing, 
first  one,  then  another,  then  scores,  and  the  veil  of 
darkness  was  gradually  being  drawn  over  the  entire 
prospect  below  them  on  the  north. 

the  mountain  from  our  position,  and  amuse  ourselves  watching 
the  enemy's  shells  burst  on  the  mountain,  and  see  our  guns  reply 
to  the  enemy's.  Tliey  have  been  firing  frequently  after  dark. 
Then  it  is  a  beautiful  sight  to  see  the  shells  burst,  and  the  long 
stream  of  fire  from  our  guns  when  they  fire."— Letter  from  a 
soldier  in  Walker's  division,  dated  June  26,  1864,  and  printed  in 
Augusta  Constitutionalist,  July  1,  1864. 


WAKING  UP  THE  BATTERIES.        151 

''Ha!  ha!"  exclaimed  Col.  Gates,  "our  fire  is 
becoming  too  close  and  hot  for  them ;  they  are  put- 
ting out  their  own." 

"Yes,"  replied  Col.  Barry,  "they  want  to  give  us 
as  great  uncertainty  in  aim  as  they  will  have  at  us." 

"Never  mind,  gentlemen,"  said  General  French, 
"whenever  they  get  to  their  guns,  and  settle  down 
to  business,  they  will  do  their  best  to  knock  some 
of  Colonel  Barry's  'stars'  out  of  the  Kennesaw 
heavens.  But  this  is  good  work  which  is  going  on 
now;  and  by  the  time  they  can  open  all  their  bat- 
teries, and  get  the  range  of  'the  stars'  there  will 
be  a  sorry  tale  for  them  to  tell  among  their  own 
luminaries.  Keep  it  up,  Major  Storrs,  I  like  the 
way  those  shells  of  yours  are  lighting  up  the  dark- 
ness down  yonder  before  us." 

"Ah,  this  is  superb!"  answered  the  latter. 
"This  practice  is  as  fine  as  I  ever  saw  at  night. 
The  Yankees  will  have  been  worried  pretty  badly 
before  they  are  able  to  reply." 

For  fully  five  minutes  this  continued  without 
interruption,  during  which  the  scene  on  the  moun- 
tain top  around  them  was  one  long  to  be  remem- 
bered,— the  flashes  of  the  discharges  lighting  up 
the  clouds  of  smoke,  and  the  silhouettes  of  the  men 
calling  to  mind  the  classic  fables  of  the  Cyclops 
forging  the  thunderbolts  for  Jove. 

Suddenly  General  French,  who  had  been  ever 
and  anon  casting  his  eyes  toward  the  crest  of  Great 
Kennesaw,  without  a  word,  touched  Major  Storrs 


152        KENNESAWS  BOMBARDMENT. 

and  Colonel  Gates  on  their  shoulders,  and  then 
pointed  to  the  east. 

"Hurrah!"  exclaimed  the  colonel,  *'Major  Pres- 
ton has  again  followed  suit  in  the  right  way.  We 
can  always  depend  upon  him  to  be  on  hand  when, 
ever  his  aid  will  do  good." 

Every  one  looked,  and  within  a  couple  of  min- 
utes two  bright  flashes  of  light  darted  from  the 
high  summit,  and,  as  they  lit  up  the  clouds  around 
them  of  their  own  and  the  one  whose  discharge  had 
been  first  seen  by  General  French,  their  sharp, 
"boom!  boom!"  shook  the  air,  and  were  plainly 
distinguished  amid  the  roar  of  the  guns  immediately 
around  the  party. 

The  trail  of  the  shells  could  be  followed  by  the 
eye,  as  the  sparks  from  the  burning  fuses  were 
strung  out  behind  them  like  a  chain  of  shining 
beads,  and  then  their  successive  explosions,  near 
the  Federal  camps,  told  that  the  dogs  of  war  were 
on  a  keen  scent  for  human  blood. 

From  the  throngs  of  soldiers  who  lined  the  top  of 
Little  Kennesaw  a  deafening  yell  followed. 

Their  lusty  cheering,  however,  had  hardly  ceased 
enlivening  the  darkness  ere  a  quick  flash  and  sharp, 
crashing  sound  about  two  hundred  yards  down  the 
mountain  side  told  them  that  the  Federals  had  at 
length  opened  upon  them. 

"Aha!  General,"  laughed  Colonel  Barry,  "you 
observe  they  are  trying  to  knock  my  'stars'  out  of 
the  Kennesaw  sky;  and,  just  as  I  told  you,  they 
can't  see  very  well  how  to  get  the  range." 


WAKING  UP  THE  BATTERIES.         153 

"No!"  replied  General  French,  "we  need  not 
fear  that  they  will  write  of  us  in  their  bulletins 
'driven  from  their  guns'  for  quite  a  number  of  min- 
utes yet.  Look!  three  ot  Captain  Ward's  pieces 
went  off  then  at  exactly  the  same  instant;  and 
yonder  the  shells  have  exploded  fully  a  hundred 
yards  apart  each." 

For  about  ten  minutes  thereafter  there  was  a  con- 
tinued succession  of  stunning  reports  from  the 
summits  of  Great  and  Little  Kennesaw,  as  the  Con- 
federates maintained  a  rapid  and  vigorous  bombard- 
ment upon  the  Federal  positions,  which  were  still 
easily  located  by  the  camp  fires  and  other  lights  in 
their  midst;  and  only  the  occasional  explosion  of  an 
answering  shell  was  seen  or  heard,  and  these  were 
apparently  fired  rather  wildly. 


154        KENNESAW\S  BOMBARDMENT. 


CHAPTEK  IX. 

Suddenly,  however,  from  the  summit  of  Pine 
Mountain,  northwest  of  Little  Kennesaw,  the  Con- 
federates perceived  a  sky-rocket  ascending  the 
heavens. 

It  hardly  cleaved  its  glittering  way  upward, 
through  the  canopy  of  gloom,  and  exploded,  scat- 
tering its  thousand  sparks  in  as  many  directions, 
ere  from  the  hill  behind  Noonday  creek,  east  of  the 
Western  &  Atlantic  Railroad,  another  was  observed, 
climbing  upward,  upward,  upward,  through  the 
drifting  mists,  and,  like  a  child  of  the  stars,  seek- 
ing the  zenith  to  join  its  parents  in  splendor. 

Almost  as  high  as  the  great  peak  it  rushed ;  then, 
as  it  burst  with  a  sharp  report,  the  head  of  this 
messenger  ot  fire  seemed  crowned  with  a  galaxy  of 
dazzling  brilliants. 

Its  radiant  sparks  were  still  falling  like  a  shower 
of  gold,  when  from  near  the  Hardage  house,  and 
from  the  Lattimer  place,  two  others  shot  aloft,  each 
dragging  a  chain  of  light  behind  it.  Then  from 
Brush  Mountain  westward  to  the  Wallace  farm  and 
far  to  the  south,  the  air  seemed  alive  with  blazing 
serpents,  darting  upward,  hissing,  leaving  a  trail  of 


WAKING  UP  THE  BATTERIES.        155 

fire  behind,  and  spitting  baleful  embers  at  the 
mountain,  before  the  darkness  breathed  its  chilling 
breath  upon  them  and,  dissolving  in  convulsive 
agonies,  they  sank  from  view.* 

"Magnificent!"  exclaimed  General  French,  who 
with  his  comrades  was  looking,  almost  entranced 
with  admiration,  upon  the  awe-inspiring  scene, 
''I  have  never  beheld  so  grand  a  spectacular  drama 
as  this  which  is  rising  from  behind  and  amid  the 
myriad  footlights  down  before  us." 

"Yes,"  replied  Major  Storrs,  "but  our  artillery  is 
throwing  some  of  war's  most  poisonous  bouquets 
under  the  noses  of  those  who  seek  to  terrify  us  by 
its  display." 

"The  majesty  on  high!"  ejaculated  Lieuten- 
ant Manning,  "what  a  glittering  panorama  'our 
friends,  the  enemy,'  are  exhibiting  to  us ! " 

"Oh,  my!  brother  Manning,"  put  in  Lieutenant 
Mothershead,  "here  we've  caught  you  at  the 
theatre  (of  war);  and, — who  would  have  thought 
it? — looking  at  a  spectacular  drama,  as  General 
French  calls  it." 

"Well,  there's  no  ballet  about  it,"  said  the 
preacher-lieutenant  with  a  laugh,  "so  you'll  make 
some  allowance  for  me  on  that  score." 

-=Some  of  the  citizens  of  Marietta  who  were  residing  there 
during  the  siege  state  that  these  displays  of  fireworks  occurred 
several  nights  before  the  great  battle  of  June  27,  and  that  on  one 
or  two  occasions  they  were  grand  and  magnificent  beyond  expres- 
sion. 

A  gentleman,  who  ,vas  an  oflScer  in  Sherman's  army,  has  stated 
to  the  author  that  these  fiery  demonstrations  were  made  for  the 
purpose  of  aiarraina:  the  Confederates  with  the  apprehension  that 
night  attacks  were  imminent,  and  thus  by  disturbing  their  rest  at 
night  and  constant  fighting  by  day,  to  have  them  physically  worn 
out  by  the  time  the  great  assault  was  made  along  the  entire  line. 


156        KENNESAW  S  BOMBARDMENT. 

''Yes,  but  I  fear  it  means  that  there  will  soon  be 
some  bullet!"  exclaimed  Captain  Canniff,  with  the 
French  accent  on  the  last  syllable  of  his  last  word. 

'  'Boom !  boom !  boom !  boom  ! " — like  the  roll  of 
the  thunder  of  fate,  from  east  to  west  the  opening 
roar  of  Sherman's  cannon  broke  upon  the  ear.  In 
one  grand  volley,  following  the  signal  of  the  sky- 
rockets, they  hurled  forth  a  howling  tempest  of 
shells  toward  the  crest  of  Little  Kennesaw. 

The  next  instant  a  shower  of  flashing  lightnings 
seemed  to  dart  forth  from  the  midst  of  miniature 
greyish-colored  clouds  above  the  forests  at  the  base 
of  the  mountain,  or  far  up  its  sides,  or  beyond 
either  end,  and  high  in  the  air  behind  it,  while  the 
rattling  din  of  their  explosion  echoed  and  re-echoed 
around  the  cliffs  and  clear  back  to  the  ears  of  the 
angry  Federals  who  had  sent  them  upward  on  their 
futile  errand  of  wrath. 

"Ha!  ha!  ha!  ha!"  "Whoopee!"  "Try  it  again, 
Yanks!"  "Shootiug  at  the  stars!"  "Hurrah  for 
the  night!"  and  scores  of  similar  expressions  burst 
from  the  Confederates,  as  a  peal  of  jolly  and 
derisive  laughter  rang  from  one  end  of  the  long 
crest  to  the  other,  on  perceiving  that  not  one,  out 
of  probably  fifty  shells,  had  struck  within  a  hundred 
yards  of  the  parapets. 

"What  was  it  I  said  about  their  shooting  at  the 
stars,  gentleman?"  asked  Colonel  Barry  with  a 
comical  emphasis  of  tone. 

"Oh,  you  are  the  hero  of  the  prophecy!"  General 
French  good-humoredly  replied. 


WAKI^sTG  UP  THE  BATTERIES.         157 

"Yes,"  said  Major  Storrs,  "I  think  this  will  be  a 
field  night  for  us.  We  may  not  get  much  sleep  for 
the  next  few  hours ;  but  I'll  guarantee  that  our  eyes 
will  not  be  as  red  as  theirs  to-morrow  morning. 
That  was  a  grand  pyrotechnic  display  they  gave  us 
a  few  minutes  ago;  but  before  we  get  through  with 
this  bombardment  I  opine  their  shells  and  ours  will 
make  a  grander  and  more  terrible  one." 

"That's  so,"  exclaimed  Pat  Quinn,  "I  think  the 
chances  are  that  we  are  all  going  to  get  on  a  'grand 
bum'  to-night,  and  that  there'll  be  a  good  many  red 
eyes  on  both  sides  by  daybreak." 

"Well,  we  might  draw  straws,"  said  Lieutenant 
Richardson,*  "for  who  among  us  will  make  the 
best  shots  at  that  line  of  fire  down  before  us ;  and 
the  Yankees  can  toss  coppers  to  guess  at  the  one  Ox 
their  gunners  who  will  explode  his  shell  the  farthest 
away  from  our  perch  up  here.  I'll  bet  a  Confeder- 
ate shin-plaster  to  a  twenty-dollar  gold  piece  that 
our  firing  will  be  twenty  times  as  true  as  theirs." 

"There's  not  much  risk  of  that  bet  bankrupting 
you.  Lieutenant,  even  if  you  lose  it,"  interjected 
Lieutenant  Cruse  with  a  hearty  laugh. 

"Well,  I'm  willing  to  reverse  it,  then,"  said 
Richardson  good-humoredly,  "since  you've  caught 
on,  and  won't  let  me  have  all  the  chances." 

During  all  this  period  the  batteries  on  both  crests 

-Since  the  first  eight  forms  of  this  book  have  been  printed, 
a  letter  trom  a  lady  in  Nashville,  Tenn.,  who  is  well  acquainted 
with  Lieutenant  Richardson  (who  is  now  a  resident  of  that  city.) 
informs  the  author  that  his  name  is  Edwin  R.  Richardson,  and  not 
Wilharn  Richardson.  These  two  gentlemen  are  brothers,  hence, 
probably  the  source  of  the  error  by  our  first  informant. 


158        KENNESAW'S  BOMBARDMENT. 

of  Kennesaw  were  maintaining  a  continuous  shel- 
ling, and  their  missiles  were  flying,  frequently  with 
great  precision,  into  the  camps  of  the  Federals. 

The  latter  had  by  this  time  extinguished  the 
greater  portion  of  their  fires;  but  the  incessant 
flashes  of  light  from  the  guns  in  all  their  batteries 
were  reflected  against  the  smoke,  and  afforded  even 
a  better  mark  for  their  enemy's  aim  than  they  pre- 
viously enjoyed.  To  get  the  range  of  the  nearest  of 
these  they,  in  some  instances,  depressed  their  guns 
considerably  and  reduced  charges,  while  to  reach 
the  farthest  they  elevated  their  muzzles  by  sinking 
the  trails  into  pits  already  dug  behind  them,  which 
they  ordinarily  kept  filled  with  rocks  easy  to  remove. 

The  intense  darkness  of  the  night  was  the  source 
of  very  great  disadvantage  to  the  Federals.  They 
could  not  even  see  the  mountain;  and  the  blaze 
from  the  few  guns  the  Confederates  had,  notwith- 
standing the  zealous  energy  with  which  they  were 
worked,  was  visible  but  two  or  three  times  a  minute, 
and  then  apparently  darting  out  from  the  sky, 
sometimes  nearly  a  couple  of  hundred  yards  apart. 
There  was  no  comparative  object  by  which  to  locate 
their  position,  and  Colonel  Barry's  remark  was  a 
very  apt  one,  as  they  seemed  literally  like  stars  in 
the  heavens ;  and  so  far  as  aiming  at  them  was  con- 
cerned, they  were  even  worse  than  stars,  for  their 
flash,  like  lightning,  was  only  seen  for  an  instant 
at  a  time,  and,  before  the  piece  could  be  sighted 
toward  it,  it  had  disappeared  behind  the  clouds, 
and  even  the  explosion  of  their  own   shells  was  no 


WAKING  UP  THE  BATTERIES. 


159 


accurate  guide,  as  it  was  impossible  to  tell  by  look- 
ing at  the  flash  whether  it  was  near  the  Confeder- 
ate guns  or  two  hundred  yards  before  or  behind 
them. 


# 


KENNESAW'S   BOMBARD^^IENT. 

Still  with  the  pluck  and^indomitable  perseverance 
which  are  characteristic  of  the  American  soldier 
wherever  found,    they  gamely   returned   the  fire 


11 


160        KENNESAW'S  BOMBARDMENT. 

which  was  so  annoying  to  them,  and,  from  battery 
after  battery,  over  a  hundred  guns  hurled  the  his- 
sing bolts  of  wrath  against  the  mount  of  terrors. 

As  during  the  day,  their  attention  was  principally 
directed  toward  Little  Kennesaw,  and,  as  nearly  as 
they  could  determine  it,  their  missiles  thundered 
around  its  crest. 

Their  aim,  while  at  no  time  perfect  in  the  dark- 
ness, nevertheless  gradually  became  better,  until  by 
about  eleven  o'clock  the  bombardment  reached  its 
culmination,  both  as  regarded  its  accuracy  and 
magnitude. 

Those  who  surveyed  it  from  the  crest  of  Great 
Kennesaw  declared  that  it  was  impossible  to  describe 
the  terrible  beauty  and  majesty  of  the  scene.  It  was 
a  constantly  changing  panorama  of  splendors,  whose 
magnificence  awed  while  it  fascinated. 

The  rapid  succession  of  brilliant  flashes  out  of  the 
darkness  which  enveloped  the  other  peak  appeared 
as  lightning  darting  from  a  monstrous  chain  of 
thunder  clouds,  while  the  tumultuous  roar  from 
their  midst  caused,  as  it  were,  the  very  mountain 
tself  to  quake. 

But  not  here  did  the  storm  of  warlike  glories 
exhaust  itself.  The  most  resplendent  spectacle 
it  presented  was  in  the  meteor-like  rush  and  the 
dazzling  explosions  of  the  scores  and  hundreds  of 
shells  which  were  poured  forth  from  the  Federal 
batteries  far  below  them.  As  they  rushed  upward 
frequently  the  sparks  from  their  fuses  like  fiery 
rainbows  arched  through   the   gloom,  and,  to  use 


WAKING  UP  THE  BATTEKIES.         161 

a  soldier's  words, — "each  scattered  a  bag  of  gold," 
as  it  burst  with  blinding  blaze  and  terrific  detona- 
tions against  the  mountain  side  or  high  in  the  air 
above  or  beyond  it. 

"Look!"  exclaimed  Major  Preston  to  General 
Eeynolds,  who  was  with  him  on  the  summit  of  the 
great  crest,  "it  is  like  a  shower  of  falling  stars!" 

"Yes,"  was  the  response,  "and  it  is  hardly  more 
pernicious  to  our  boys.  The  Yankees,  somehow 
or  other,  don't  seem  to  be  able  to  get  the  range  of 
the  summit  with  any  certainty.  You  see,  nearly 
forty  of  their  shells  explode  down  against  the  slope, 
or  paes  over  the  ridge  and  light  up  the  southern 
side,  to  where  one  strikes  near  the  parapet.  I  have 
been  watching  the  level  of  our  guns  as  shown  by 
the  blaze  when  they  fire,  and  that  of  the  bursting  of 
the  enemy's  shells.  The  honors  to-night  are  clearly 
ours.  The  Yankee  bombardment  is  simply  a 
magnificent  display." 

"Ha!  see  that!"  exclaimed  Major  Preston,  "one 
of  our  shells  and  a  Yankee  Parrott  shell  met  'mid 
air  and  exploded  almost  simultaneously  by  concus- 
sion with  each  other.  Such  a  scene  isn't  witnessed 
once  for  every  ten  thousand  shells  fired.  "Wasn't 
it  a  grand  sight?" 

"It  was  as  brilliant  as  a  collision  between  two 
sky-rockets,"  answered  General  Eeynolds,  "only 
it  was  more  terrific." 

In  Marietta  during  this  time  hundreds  of  anxious 
citizens  and  soldiers  crowded  the  streets  and  highest 
hills  and  the  bridge  over  the  railroad  south  of  the 


162        KENNESAWS  BOxMBARDMENT. 

depot,  having  been  awakened  by  the  astounding 
uproar  of  the  artillery. 

All  eyes  were  turned  toward  Kennesaw  Moun- 
tain, which  was  soon  determined  as  the  battle 
center,  and  with  breathless  interest  they  watched 
the  incessant  play  of  fire,  apparently  in  the  sky; 
but,  as  all  knew,  really  upon  the  summit. 

But  at  one  point  in  the  edge  of  town,  at  least, 
the  signal  of  encouragement  and  of  hearty  "good 
cheer"  was  exhibited  to  the  view  of  the  dauntless 
heroes  on  the  mountain  top.  This  was  at  the 
Georgia  Military  Institute.  The  cadets  were  tem- 
porarily in  reserve,  and  at  their  old  headquarters  in 
the  college  building,  which  was  on  a  commanding 
hill  on  the  southern  border  of  Marietta. 

For  years  the  soldier  boys  had  been  trained  up 
here ;  and  from  all  parts  of  the  state  the  flower  of 
its  young  manhood  had  within  these  classic  walls 
and  under  the  noble  trees,  studied  the  upper 
branches  of  finished  education,  and  been  instructed 
thoroughly  in  the  school  of  Mars,  not  only  from 
books,  but  also  by  drilling  on  the  college  grounds 
and  in  open  fields,  where  they  were  taught  all  the 
evolutions  practised  by  the  finished  veteran. 

This  institution  was  the  pride  of  the  state, 
and  yearly,  at  its  "commencement"  exercises,  the 
beauty,  culture  and  wealth  of  the  state  assembled 
here  at  Marietta  to  see  the  boys  graduate.  And 
not  only  from  Georgia,  but  from  the  Carolinas, 
Florida,  Alabama,  Mississippi  and  other  southern 
fctates  came  their  wisdom,  beauty  and  fashion  to  at- 


WAKING  UP  THE  BATTERIES.         163 

tend  these  exercises ;  for  from  several  southern  states 
was  the  Institute's  patronage  drawn. 

Governor  Brown,  of  Georgia,  always  made  it  a 
special  point  to  be  personally  present  on  "Commence- 
ment day ; "  and  other  governors  before  him  gave  it 
the  official  sanction  of  their  presence.  Ah !  those 
were  palmy  days ;  shall  their  like  ever  be  seen  again? 

When  the  step  of  the  hostile  invader  was  at 
length  upon  the  soil  of  Georgia  and  the  bullet  and 
torch  were  doing  their  work  of  destroying  the  lives 
of  her  sons  and  the  homes  of  her  women  and  babes, 
the  cadets  threw  aside  their  books,  and,  under  their 
commander,  Major  F.  W.  Capers,  went  to  the  front. 
They  took  part  in  the  desperate  battles  above 
Rome  and  at  other  points,  and  were  afterward 
placed  on  detached  duty  of  great  importance. 

Temporarily  at  their  old  quarters,  when  the  first 
sounds  of  the  firing  echoed  through  the  darkness  of 
the  night,  the  long  roll  of  the  drum  (beaten  by 
the  diminutive  old  negro,  Cornelius,  whom  every 
cadet  remembers,)  startled  and  called  them  to  arms. 
Formed  on  the  campus  within  a  few  minutes,  amid 
the  music  of  Cornelius'  drum  and  pompous  old 
black  Charley's  fife,^-^  they  beheld  the  play  of  the 
warlike  fires  around  the  summit  of  the  mountain. 

They  stood  in  line  for  some  time,  and  then, 
at  the  suggestion  of  several,   by  consent  of  their 

-One  of  the  former  cadets,  in  talking  to  the  author  about  the 
Institute,  and  the  days  when  he  was  there,  laughed  very  heartily 
about  old  Cornelius  and  Charley.  The  former,  he  said,  was  a 
small  sized  negro,  pretty  well  up  in  years,  and  the  very  personifica- 
tion of  dignity.  He  never  met  a  cadet  but  that  he  gave  him  the 
military  salute  and  always  expected  one  in  return.  While  thor- 
oughly and  almost  oppressively  deferential  to  the  "seasoned  ca- 
dets," Cornelius  nevertheless  considered  himself  really  far  supe- 


164        KENNESAW'S  BOMBARDMENT. 

commander,  they  broke  ranks,  and,  hastening  into 
the  college  building,  and  others,  secured  all  the 
candles  and  lamps  which  were  available,  and  soon 
had  every  window  on  the  north  side  illuminated. 
Huge  bonfires  were  also  built  in  the  open  space  in 
front  of  the  main  building,  and  thus  the  boys 
signaled  their  good  wishes  and  applause  to  the  gun- 
ners on  Kennesaw. 

Tom  Bussey,  who  was  noted  for  always  having 
the  cleanest  gun  of  any  of  the  cadets,  and  who  is 
now  engineer  of  the  Marietta  and  Atlanta  accommo- 
dation train  of  the  Western  and  Atlantic  Railroad, 
and  as  jolly  and  full  of  life  as  when  he  was  in  the 
Military  Institute,  ran  into  his  room  and  got  a  sky- 
rocket, which  he  had  been  saving  up  for  months. 
Coming  into  the  yard,  again,  he  touched  it  off,  and 
up,  up  into  the  heavens,  amid  the  cheers  of  the 
boys,  it  shot,  leaving  a  stream  of  fire  in  its  course. 

This  was  first  noticed  bv  Major  Storrs,  who 
called  General  French's  attention  to  it.  Both 
readily  surmised  its  meaning,  and  that  of  the  illu- 
mination of  the  building  and  campus,  and  the  major 
remarked,  "I  wish  we  had  some  way  to  show  our 
high  appreciation  of  their  true  soldierly  greeting." 

"I  think,"  answered  the  general,  "that  the  steady 
roar  of  your  guns  is  all  the  evidence  they  want." 

rior  in  wisdom  and  rank  to  one  newly  matriculated. 

Old  Charley  was  the  antipode  of  Cornelius  in  size,  being  very- 
tall  and  large  ;"bnt  even  Cornelius  could  scarcely  hold  a  candle  to 
him  in  being  pompous.  When  the  wind  from  old  Charley's  expan- 
ded jaws  went  into  that  fife  of  his  there  was  bound  to  be  a  sound 
which  everybody  around  could  hear.  There  is  not  a  former  cadet 
who  does  not  smile  when  he  remembers  this  universally  petted  and 
mportant  old  pair. 


WAKING  UP  THE  BATTERIES.         165 

Others  around  them  saw  the  lights,  and  soon 
from  hundreds  of  throats  went  up  the  yell,  "Hur- 
rah for  the  Georgia  soldier  boys ! " 

While  this  was  going  on,  not  only  from  "College 
Hill,"  but  also  from  every  height  in  Marietta  the 
soldiers  and  citizens  could  plainly  see  the  enormous 
clouds  of  thick  smoke  which  had  clustered  around 
the  two  crests,  whenever  the  discharge  of  the  Con- 
federate guns  would,  like  lightning,  shoot  a  bright 
glare  over  the  entire  surface,  gilding  it  with  splen- 
dors, and  reflecting  back  even  into  the  valleys 
between  the  surrounding  hills.  Then  the  sudden 
flashes  amid  the  sulphurous  mists  high  in  the  air 
toward  them,  and  the  sharp,  ringing  reports  would 
tell  of  the  presence  of  the  shells  from  the  Federal 
batteries.  Sometimes  these  would  burst  out  singly, 
then  a  score  of  them,  almost  at  the  same  instant, 
would  light  up  the  sky  and  deafen  the  ear  with 
their  angry  explosions. 

Occasionally  one  from  a  Parrott  gun  would  fall 
in  the  very  outskirts  of  the  town,  and,  as  its 
startling  "boom"  shook  the  atmosphere  and  rattled 
the  windows  around  them,  there  would  be  a  rush  of 
the  frightened  citizens,  ladies  and  children,  from 
the  neighborhood.  Several  of  the  death-dealing 
missiles  landed  as  far  as  amid  the  grove  in  General 
Hansen's  front  yard,  (now  Mr.  G.  H.  Camp's,)  by  the 
Western  &  Atlantic  Railroad  in  the  northern  edge 
of  the  town.     It  was  a  night  of  terror  in  Marietta. 

Thus  until  nearly  midnight  they  stood  surveying 
the  awful  magnificence  of  the  scene,  and  listening 


166        KENNESAW'S  BOMBARDMENT. 

to  the  tumult;  and  were  congratulating  themselves 
that  the  Yankee  fire  seemed  sensibly  slackening 
and  the  Confederates  still  held  the  mountain  with- 
out great  difiiculty,  when  suddenly  a  cry  of  horror 
and  amaze  burst  forth  from  nearly  every  tongue. 

As  from  a  volcano,  a  tremendous  sheet  of  flame 
shot  up  into  the  air,  lighting  the  clouds  for  miles 
around,  and  illumining  the  entire  mountain. 
Then,  as  it  faded  away  amid  the  darkness,  a  terrific 
crash  smote  the  ears,  and  almost  stampeded  the 
€rowd. 

''What  is  it?"  came  from  every  lip. 

"The  mountain's  blown  up!  We're  ruined!" 
exclaimed  a  panic-stricken  citizen. 

"Oh,  no!  bosh!"  retorted  an  officer,  in  a  con- 
temptuous tone,  "a  shell  has  exploded  one  of 
our  artillery  caissons.  Our  boys  ain't  frightened ! 
Don't  you  hear  them  still  firing?  Only  one  battery 
is  disabled.    Hurrah  for  the  Southern  Confederacy  I" 

"Hurrah  for  the  Southern  Confederacy!  The 
Yankees  can't  whip  us!  Listen  at  our  cannon  still 
firing  on  the  top  of  Kenuesaw ! "  yelled  the  crowd 
in  a  frenzy  of  enthusiasm. 

A  dreadful  rumbling  interrupted  their  shouts, 
and,  with  blanched  cheeks,  every  one  stood  con- 
founded with  amazement  and  terror.  Like  the  roll 
of  thunder  it  came  on,  and  amid  the  yells  of 
thousands  upon  the  mountain,  a  crashing,  tearing 
sound  told  that  ruin  was  rampant. 

For  almost  two  minutes  this  continued,  and  then, 
in  the  forest  at  the  base  of  the  great  height,  it  died 


WAKING  UP  THE  BATTERIES.         167 

out,  and  stillness  again  enfolded  everything  for  an 
instant. 

The  surmise  of  the  officer  in  Marietta  was  nearly 
<jorrect.  A  shell  had  fallen  into  an  ammunition 
chest  behind  Captain  Ward's  battery,  and  exploded 
it  with  fearful  display. 

An  enormous  column  of  flame  darted  like  light- 
ning far  up  into  the  air  above  the  mountain's  crest, 
whirling  the  clouds  like  foot  balls,  and  shooting  its 
dazzling  glare  like  a  burst  of  daylight  over  the 
country  for  hundreds  of  yards  around. 

The  whole  of  the  gigantic  mass  of  Kennesaw  was 
wreathed  in  splendor,  and  for  an  instant  the  curtain 
of  night  was  withdrawn  from  over  Marietta  and 
the  Federal  batteries,  and  they  were  revealed  to 
the  gaze  of  the  men  amid  the  crags, — the  one 
smiling  in  classic  beauty  and  the  other  smoking  and 
frowning  with  grisly  horrors. 

Immediately  accompanying  the  infernal  flash  a 
deafening  roar  rang  out  above  the  wildest  tumult  of 
battle,  and,  like  an  earthquake,  shook  the  entire 
summit. 

A  tremendous  bowlder  was  blown  from  its  base, 
and  hurled  over  the  mountain  side  on  the  south. 
With  a  thunderous  sound  and  with  fearful  velocity 
it  rolled  down  the  steep  slope,  knocking  huge  crags 
from  their  resting  places,  breaking  tall  trees  like 
pipe  stems  and  whirling  them  before  it,  crackling 
and  whizzing,  and  like  an  Alpine  avalanche  gather- 
ing force  and  volume,  until  at  length  with  a  dull 
heavy  moan  it  died  away  amid  the  night. 


168        KENNESAW'S  BOMBARDMENT. 

Another  immense  mass  ot  rock,  which  jutted  up 
nearly  a  dozen  feet  above  the  summit,  was  between 
the  buried  chest  and  the  guns,  the  former  having 
been  placed  there  for  the  double  purpose  of  being 
out  of  reach  of  the  Federal  shells  and  of  being 
unable  to  damage  the  guns  should  any  mishap 
explode  it.  The  fatal  missile  which  in  part  upset 
these  calculations  had  struck  a  tree  and  glanced  off 
at  right  angles,  and  darted  into  the  chest. 

The  gigantic  rock,  however,  sheltered  the  artil- 
lerymen from  the  effects  of  the  calamity,  and, 
although  the  dazzling  flash  almost  blinded  them, 
none  of  the  men  near  the  parapet  were  prostrated 
by  the  concussion  or  struck  by  the  falling  debris. 

One  man,  however,  who  had  gone  for  a  charge, 
and  had  just  lifted  the  cover  off  of  the  chest,  was 
blown  to  pieces,  and  several  of  the  infantry  in  the 
immediate  vicinity  were  more  or  less  hurt,  but 
none  seriously. 

"It  is  the  hand  of  God  which  has  protected  us 
who  were  around  it!"  exclaimed  Lieutenant  Manning, 
"let  us  render  thanks  for  His  wonderful  grace." 

"Yes,"  answered  General  French,  "it  is  a  special 
Providence." 

Then  as  Generals  French,  Ector  and  Cockrell  and 
Major  Storrs,  with  a  score  of  other  leading  officers 
and  hundreds  of  men,  who  had  rushed  to  the  scene 
of  the  wreck,  reverently  bowed  their  heads,  the 
noble  "preacher-lieutenant,"  raised  his  hands,  and, 
amid  the  thunders  of  guns  from  the  crest  before  and 


WAKING  UP  THE  BATTERIES.         169 

behind  him,*  and  with  the  enemy's  shells  rending 
the  air  above  him,  prayed  : 

"God  of  battles!  God  of  mercy  I  we  thank  Thee 
for  this  Thy  mercy  which  has  triumphed  over  the 
power  of  battle.  Thy  mercy  is  Thy  delight  and 
our  glory!  Over  us  this  day  Thou  hast  held  the 
shield  of  Thy  protection,  and  by  Thy  grace  have 
we  been  saved.  Grant  that  through  this  life  the 
mountain  of  Thy  salvation  may  be  to  our  souls  a 
greater  place  of  refuge  than  to-day  Thou  hast  made 
this  mountain  to  our  bodies.  And  now  we  ask 
Thy  blessing  upon  our  great  commander  and  his 
chieftains,  and  upon  every  soldier,  however  humble, 
and  that  Thou  wilt  adorn  our  sunny  country  with 
the  robes  of  piosperity,  happiness  and  peace,  and 
make  it  the  center  of  worship,  and  of  Thy  glory 
here  on  earth ;  and  to  Thy  holy  name  be  all  the 
praise,  through  Christ,  our  Redeemer.    Amen !" 

"Amen!"  arose  in  a  fervent  tone  from  officers 
and  men  alike. 

This  had  scarcely  been  said  ere,  like  a  curtain,  the 
clouds  above  them  separated,  and  the  moon  shot 
the  splendor  of  her  silvery  rays  upon  the  battle- 
crowned  mountain  and  the  smoking  hills  before  it. 
The  sulphurous  fog,  which  clustered  around  the 
crest,  it  gilded  with  a  brilliant  whiteness  which  rad- 
iated upward  again,  filling  the  sky  with  a  halo  of 
iridescent  glory. 

-This  noble  son  of  the  south  was  killed  in  the  battle  of  Kenne- 
saw  Mountain  four  days  after  the  occurrence  herein  described,  as 
is  shown  in  the  foUow'ins;  extract  from  General  Cockrell's  report : 

"Lieutenant  Arehibi^ld  D.  Manning,  a  minister  of  the  Cumber- 
land Presbyterian  church  and  a  most  exemplary  Christian,  is 
amono;  the  killed  " 


170        KENNESAW'S  BOMBAKDMENT. 

Above  the  Federal  batteries  it  appeared  to  spread 
a  sheet  of  feathery  down,  and  even  the  dark  forests 
mirrored  back  its  glittering  beams  from  their  myriad 
dew-sprayed  leaves. 

It  seemed  an  ideal  dream  of  ethereal  beauty,  the 
reflex  of  the  smile  of  gracious  heaven,  revealed  to 
inspire  men's  hearts  with  love  for  each  other  and 
reverence  for  God. 

As  if  written  in  the  sky,  its  lesson  was  one  whose 
words  to  the  soul  whispered,  "Peace  on  earth,  good 
will  to  men !" 

For  a  minute  only  this  continued,  then  the  drift- 
ing clouds  rolled  together  again,  and  naught  could 
be  seen  or  heard  but  the  baleful  glare  and  angry  hiss 
of  the  war-serpent. 

Suddenly  General  French  remarked :  '  'Let  every- 
body go  to  his  post,  and  be  prepared  for  any  emer- 
gency. The  Yankees  are  yelling  in  great  triumph 
over  what  they  think  is  a  serious  calamity  to  us, 
when  really  it  is  a  misfortune  merely  local  to  this 
part  of  the  line." 

All  listened  attentively,  and  from  far  down  in 
the  darkness,  from  east  to  west,  was  heard  the  cheer- 
ing of  thousands  of  men. 

''Huzza!  huzza!  huzza  !"  swept  up  from  the  abyss 
of  gloom  to  the  lofty  perch  on  the  mountain's  crest. 

"Here,  General  Cockrell,"  said  General  French, 
"I'll  conscript  you  up  here  for  a  minute;  and 
Colonel  Barry  and  General  Ector,  form  all  your 
men,  who  are  available,  upon  the  summit,  and  give 
the  Yankees  a  regular  Confederate  salute!" 


WAKING  UP  THE  BATTERIES.         171 

*'Yes,  give  them  a  salute!"  arose  from  all  sides. 

The  sound  of  bugles  and  the  roll  of  drums  were 
heard  around  the  mountain  top  by  even  the  Fed- 
erals below,  and  thrillifig  even  to  them  was  this 
warlike  music,  coming  at  such  a  time  and  apparent- 
ly out  of  the  very  thunder-clouds,  or  from  amid 
the  stars. 

Within  a  few  minutes  nearly  two  thousand  men 
stood  in  line  along  the  ridge,  facing  the  north,  and 
then  from  Major  Storrs'  batteries  all  the  cannon 
were  simultaneously  fired  with  an  uproarious  report, 
and  the  reverberations  of  their  discharge  and  of  the 
explosion  of  their  shells  below,  had  hardly  died 
away  ere  from  the  three  brigade  commanders  was 
heard  the  shout:  ''Make  ready!  take  aim  at  the 
Yankees!     FIRE!!" 

From  one  end  of  the  long  summit  to  the  other, 
with  sharp,  crashing  reports  which  were  almost  co- 
ordinate in  time,  a  blaze  of  fire  burst  forth  from  the 
entire  division  front,  illumining  the  ridge  as  though 
it  were  crowned  with  lightning. 

Succeeding  this  a  wild  and  defiant  yell  arose 
from  the  men,  and,  ere  the  deafening  echoes  had 
subsided  it  was  repeated  again  and  yet  again,  until 
old  Kennesaw  seemed  the  house  of  uproar. 

Of  this  demonstration  a  Federal  officer,  who  was 
captured  a  few  days  later,  said : 

''When  we  saw  the  brilliant  flash,  and  heard 
the  startling  sound  of  the  explosion,  we  thought 
we  had  blown  up  your  magazine;  and  the  idea  at 
once  occurred  to  us  that  if  we  would  make  a  rush 


172         KENNESAW'S  BOMBARDMENT. 

in  strong  columns  we  could  seize  the  mountain 
while  your  troops  were  in  a  state  of  demoralization ; 
but  when  we  listened  to  the  boom  of  your  artillery 
continuing  almost  without'interruption,  and  within 
the  next  few  minutes  heard  the  blare  of  bugles  and 
the  roll  of  drums,  calling  the  men  to  dress  parade 
apparently  up  in  the  clouds  a  thousand  feet  above 
us,  and  saw  the  chain  of  musketry  fire  dart 
through  the  pitchy  darkness  from  one  end  of  the 
crest  to  the  other,  with  a  rattling  din  like  thunder, 
and  then  were  greeted  by  the  infernal  racket  of 
your  rebel  yells,  we  knew  that  we  had  better  stay 
where  we  were  and  let  you  alone;  for  no  troops 
could  be  caught  napping  who  recovered  themselves 
so  soon  from  the  effects  of  a  catastrophe  such  as  we 
thought  you  had  suffered.  It  was  admirable ;  and 
told  us  a  tale  wonderfully  creditable  to  your  men." 

The  infantry  demonstration  having  proven  an 
entire  success  in  restoring  the  morale  of  the  soldiers, 
which  the  explosion  had  to  some  extent  threatened 
to  impair,  General  French  issued  orders  for  them 
to  be  again  withdrawn  to  the  southern  side  of  the 
crest,  out  of  reach  of  the  Federal  fire. 

The  bombardment,  however,  continued  vigor- 
ously for  about  an  hour  longer,  and  then  gradually 
lost  force,  until  by  two  o'clock  in  the  morning 
it  ceased  entirely ;  and,  as  the  exhausted  artillery- 
men sought  rest  in  slumber,  one  of  the  grandest 
scenes  of  one  of  the  mightiest  wars  of  the  century 
came  to  an  end. 


